Mute (2018)

[Winston T. Boogie]

Title: Mute (2018)

Tagline: He doesn’t need words.

Genre: Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller

Director: Duncan Jones

Cast: Alexander Skarsgård, Paul Rudd, Justin Theroux, Seyneb Saleh, Robert Sheehan, Gilbert Owuor, Jannis Niewöhner, Robert Kazinsky, Noel Clarke, Dominic Monaghan, Florence Kasumba, Nikki Lamborn, Ulf Herman, Daniel Fathers, Anja Karmanski, Kirsten Block, Eugen Bauder, Alexander Yassin, Andrzej Blumenfeld, Jarah Maria Anders, Barbara Ewing, Enya Maria Tames, Grégoire Gros, Robert Nickisch, Ekaterina Chapandze, Livia Matthes, Sam Rockwell

Release: 2018-02-23

Runtime: 126

Plot: A mute man with a violent past is forced to take on the teeming underworld of a near-future Berlin as he searches for his missing girlfriend.

This sci-fi thriller takes place in the year 2052 in Berlin and stars Alexander Skarsgard as a mute bartender who has lost the ability to speak after a childhood accident. When his girlfriend (Seyneb Saleh) suddenly disappears, he sets out “on a noir-ish quest to find her, diving deep into the city’s seedy, neon underworld.” Paul Rudd and Justin Theroux co-star as a pair of American surgeons who serve as Skarsgard’s only clue.

 

[Johnny Angell]

Is it a combination of live action and animation?

 

[TravisR]

Skarsgard, Rudd and Theroux are all pretty cool.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Is it a combination of live action and animation?

No, it is live action. However, in the very long period of time it has taken Duncan Jones to bring this to the screen (he also directed Moon with Sam Rockwell) the story was I believe converted into a graphic novel or comic book. So, I believe there are many images taken from the graphic novel/comic floating around the world wide web. Not sure of the availability of the book/comic, I have not attempted to look it up, and he may also...because I know he was involved with a video game...have worked on turning this story into a video game as well. As I am not a gamer I don't know anything about that either.

This is a picture Mr. Jones has wanted to bring to the screen for some time. He says it is heavily influenced by Blade Runner and Casablanca. So, it would seem to be a "Future Noir" set in Berlin...I think Blade Runner took place in 2049 and this is 2052 which makes me think he is sort of setting it in that same "universe" as they like to say. Although in the official sense, this film is not at all related to Blade Runner.

However, this does somehow connect to his film Moon as Sam Bell (Rockwell's character) makes some sort of appearance in this. So, it is taking place in the Moon "universe" as they say.

(Correction: The Blade Runner sequel takes place in 2049.)

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

 

[Johnny Angell]

When will it be released?

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

When will it be released?

Well, it is another one of these Netflix films that is getting a very limited theatrical release and at the same time being released for streaming on the Netflix service. Pretty certain it is slated for the November or December time frame...although if that is when it arrives it will be dropping after the new Blade Runner film...which it seems it will get compared to...and in a time of the year where all the potential Oscar bait is coming out, so I would guess it won't play in many theaters and if it does it will be a short run.

 

[Johnny Angell]

Well, it is another one of these Netflix films that is getting a very limited theatrical release and at the same time being released for streaming on the Netflix service. Pretty certain it is slated for the November or December time frame...although if that is when it arrives it will be dropping after the new Blade Runner film...which it seems it will get compared to...and in a time of the year where all the potential Oscar bait is coming out, so I would guess it won't play in many theaters and if it does it will be a short run.

I've got netflix so I'll be on the lookout for this one.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

I've got netflix so I'll be on the lookout for this one.

I would like to see it in a theater but I think my chances of doing so are slim. This looks like it will be a film that would be fun to see on a big screen but as with the recent Netflix release War Machine I doubt there will be much of a theatrical run particularly if this gets a release during the months where everybody is attempting to get their big award season films onto theater screens.

War Machine turned out to be a film that was sort of more like a television satire and really did not need to be seen on a big screen. The whole thing came across like a television episode so no loss that I missed it in theaters. Mute however looks like a film that would be interesting on the big screen.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Sad, no theatrical release for this.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I am a big fan of Duncan Jones so I will definitely check this out. I agree it's sad that there's no theatrical release, which makes this a "made for TV movie" rather than a real movie. That's probably a semantic difference that doesn't mean nearly as much as it used to, but it still carries weight with me, and I think he's a filmmaker that deserves to be seen on the big screen.

On the other hand -- February 23rd means it'll probably go live at midnight on February 22nd, which is my birthday, so getting to watch a new Duncan Jones movie at the end of my birthday from the comfort of my home is a pretty neat present.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Check out this awesome retro poster for Mute:

 

[Sam Posten]

I’m going to be kind and say this film is ‘problematic’. Moon was genius. Source Code was pretty cool. Warcraft was a victim of too many cooks. But this mess is all laid at the feet of Jones. It took him 15 years to get it made. I hope he got it out of his system and can get back on track to greatness

 

[SamT]

Just saw this movie in glorious Dolby Vision which makes even bad movies enjoyable. This movie was so unbelievably bad that not even Dolby Vision could save it. Without hesitation I give it 1/10. Normally I hesitate to give 2 or 3 to a very bad movie.

 

[Mikael Soderholm]

That bad, huh? That's sad, considering how great his first two were. Never saw the WoW one, but this one sounds like his Lady in the Water ...

 

[Neil Middlemiss]

That bad, huh? That's sad, considering how great his first two were. Never saw the WoW one, but this one sounds like his Lady in the Water ...

It is not that bad, certainly not a 1/10 rating-bad. It was not up to Jones' usual standards, but the leads were compelling and there was a great idea at the center of this film, it just never came together. The film never felt authentic enough to earn its ending and the visuals were oddly ordinary.

 

[Cardinals73]

I liked it. As good as MOON? No. It isn't as good as SOURCE CODE, either. It was still enjoyable. I am disappointed this wasn't released theatrically. This would have been amazing on the big screen.