Deja Vu (1 Viewer)

[Abby_B]

Bumping to share a particularly fabulous review from Ain't It Cool - http://www.aintitcool.com/node/30687...iences_deja_vu

which has basically made me even more excited for this movie, because it goes on at some length about how awesome it is. Warning, however, it is pretty spoilery, so read at your own risk.

 

[David_Blackwell]

I saw the trailer in fron of The Prestige. I saw ads for it before on TV, but I'm excited to see this one. I like the repeating effcet in the trailer.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Thankfully, Tony Scott has made a film without the seizure-inducing flash-cuts and without a too-warm color palette. Obviously Denzel carries the film because that's what he does, but it's the kind of role that he can sleepwalk through, playing an authority figure, Doug Carlin, an ATF officer investigating a ferry boat bombing on the coast of New Orleans.

The sense of deja vu for Doug gets generated through some super-hush-hush government project that investigates incidences of a terrorist nature, and it is quite a ride as a time-bender, featuring one of the nuttiest chase scenes I've seen in quite a while. But, the film is too long, by maybe 10-15 minutes, gets a bit too convoluted in the last act (I could follow the logic, but it opens up some other holes to get to the end).

I give it 2.75 stars, or a grade of B-.

 

[Chuck Mayer]

I liked this one a bit more than Patrick (I double featured the day as well, but saved The Fountain for last). Deja Vu isn't a great title, but I appreciated the creativity of the screenplay. Washington is eminently watchable, and Scott is a very competent director.

Quick and dirty...7.5/10,
Chuck

 

[Chris Atkins]

7.5 sounds right.

A thinking man's action movie which could have benefitted from a couple more rewrites. That chase scene that Patrick mentioned is HIGHLY entertaining and unlike anything I've ever seen before.

 

[Nathan V]

I've developed an immense respect for Mr. Scott after seeing 2004's Man On Fire, and with Deja Vu he remains a master of populist entertainment. The script allows for many unusual but engaging situations- I particularly liked the scenes of Kilmer, Washington, and Goldberg working with the machine- a bunch of intelligent adults trying to work with each other and figure out what's going on. Denzel is eminently watchable, very natural and easy to identify with. I like how each act was slightly more fast-paced and involving than the previous one. The ending is very satisfying. If Micheal Bay's films are for "photographers, editors, and teenage boys," Tony's pictures are for photographers, editors, and adults. This latest effort is smashingly entertaining and incredibly beautiful to look at- all the deep colors, strong compositions, use of slow motion [Caviezel in the lab], and a relaxed but sophisticated visual rhythm that says "no sweat." Those saturated colors really blew me away (Look at Caviezel's eyes in the interrogation scene- they're practically green!). Here is a film that proves a lot will be lost if digital ever takes over completely.

Here's Tony on the eventual dvd, courtesy of about.com-


Regards,
Nathan

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

Saw this film today and loved it. I've always enjoyed pretty much anything Tony Scott has directed (except Top Gun and Days of Thunder, i've outgrown those two films) and he's at the top of his game with this one and Denzel continues to be one of my all time favorite actors, he's a joy to watch in everything he does.

It begins with one of the most disturbing sequences i've seen in a while with a ferry carrying 500 + women, children and sailors explodes killing pretty much everyone onboard, and Scott goes a long way to make sure that we see that there are families and babies onboard too.:frowning: I commented to my friend that if this weren't a time travel story where I knew that Denzel would somehow go back and prevent the explosion I would have walked out after that point, it's a very brutal scene to watch.

Great action, story, cinematography and acting makes this a very fun and smart time at the movies.

4 stars out of 4.

 

[Tim Glover]

Really liked Deja Vu. Like many here I love Denzel Washington. Might just be the best actor around today. He just elevates nearly ever moment.

This film is pretty cool and at times gets a bit too clever. Still I enjoyed it quite a bit.

8.5/10

 

[Qui-Gon John]

Just saw this. I really liked it and yet at the same time was also let down.

Not as much deja vu as implied.

For example, when they first had the idea of sending the note back to Doug, I thought the movie would go forward from that point, from his point of view, except he'd have a sense of deja vu about it.

Or near the end, when they get the SUV off the ferry, I expected it to explode when it was under the ferry, and really not have changed things, still large loss of life. Then Doug would have to come up with some other way to go back and change things.

Wow, Matt Craven sure had a miniscule role. What'd he have 2 minutes of time.

 

[Eric Carl]

Well that could have happened in another timeline....

I mean, after viewing it, one has to wonder if he already went back, but failed. There is proof that may have happened; remember the phone call that Clare made?

Just because we don't see it, does not mean it didn't happen; perhaps we were just shown the version where he got it right.

-Eric

 

[Will_B]

So who was the fifth chauffeur? I better go check the deleted scenes. My guess is that it would be the bearded technician (shaved), but, could be anyone I imagine...

 

[EricW]

okay, i just watched this for the first time tonight and i thought most of the movie was totally gripping. i bought into the premise and it just worked for me. maybe this is totally out there but did anyone think that

jim caviezel's character was a time traveller from the future? his melodramatic speeches are either your run of the mill wanna-be psycho villian talk or someone who seems to know the score about the time travel thing. it's a stretch but i thought that maybe the use of "Snow White", in the movie's reality, spreads and eventually leads to a pandora's box situation in the future, and Caviezel's character is from that future and he's travelled back. also there was the scene where Denzel had the "time helmet" on and Caviezel was looking right at him.

... anyways, that sounded much better in my head than on screen

also

the movie wants you to think that Denzel's character "really didn't change anything" when they're on the ferry near the end and the bomb is ticking away, but way back when Denzel smashes into the shack and the girl's fingers don't get cut off, and she doesn't die hours before the blast, time has already changed; they're already on a time tangent.

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

I never got the sense that Jim's character was a time travler, the way the film sets him up he came across to me as just another nutcase with a grudge against the government because he was dishonerably discharged and was both bitter and crazy.