Eyes Wide Shut

Rating:
Summary: Pre-emptive Masterpiece
Review: The beauty of Kubrick's films lies in their ability to withstand the test of time. One must absorb the rich content and transluscent cinematography over many screenings, with each subsequent viewing bringing more breadth and scope to his luscious formations and juxtapositions. Not for the casual moviegoer looking for a fast-food type cinematic experience, Eyes Wide Shut is a film that should be studied, not viewed. Watching it once and hastily declaring it ineffective is OK; it just means you're not a fan of deep introspective thinking. Stick to Armageddon or Mission to Mars. EWS is the type of film that leaves a residue on your psyche as soon as the final credits roll. Watching it with friends will leave you all speechless as you search for meaning and the message in Kubrick's ornate plot. Of course, if you appreciate surgically precise cinematography, then any Kubrick film is worth watching. However, to be enveloped in a transcendental world where nothing is what it seems and dream is reality and vice versa, then EWS is a must for your eyes.

Rating:
Summary: A WEIRD JOURNEY INTO A SURREAL WORLD
Review: The totally MIXED reviews say it all: this film is loaded with CONTROVERSY! Some say it is sheer artistic genious; others say it is like a bad drug trip! Of course, perhaps this is what Kubrick intended in order to conjure up interest in the film! The totally polarized opinions create curiosity; which naturally makes you want to see the film and judge for yourself! I found the movie compelling; slowly drawing me into it's dark, mysterious aura of sexual intrique and holding me captive. However, it seemed as though I kept waiting, waiting, waiting for something monumental to happen; for some sort of mind-blowing cresendo - that just never occurred! The movie is weird and fragmented - like a dream - and left me with a weird sort of unsettled feeling inside, (again, like a dream)! It is a piece of cinemagraphic art in it's truest sense, and definitely NOT for those who prefer an easy to follow, logical sort of a plot line! Interesting in it's own way; and worth seeing, (just for the controversy of it)!

Rating:
Summary: STRANGE, STRANGE, STRANGE!
Review: I watched this entire movie with my eyes WIDE OPEN, and I STILL didn't get it! What was the point? What was the plot? Was there a plot? I suppose it's one of those artsy masterpieces that is SUPPOSED to be really deep and intellectual; but it just comes across as, well, STRANGE! There was this weird otherworldly, (i.e., totally UNREALISTIC)quality to every scene; but maybe therein lies the point: The whole movie was really just a dream? As I said, I'm still confused! In the film, Cruise plays a doctor who's wife (Kidman) is suffering from an acute case of sexual jealousy. She's convinced her husband is having affairs with his attractive patients, (and whether this is true or not, is never really revealed)! One night, in a fit of dope-induced anger, the doctor's wife reveals that she herself had an affair - thus sending her husband out into the night on a "sexual oddysey of revenge," (at least I THINK that's what it was)! This movie is loaded with dark, sexual undertones and plenty of FULL frontal and "backal" nudity, (which may have been it's only draw at the box-office)! Cruise and Kidman's characters are very unlikable in the story; there is no warmth of depth of character displayed, whatsoever. However, on the plus side, I can't say the movie was BORING - just WEIRD! Perhaps it's one of those movies you have to watch a few times in order to "get it!" My opinion? Definitely RENT before BUYING!

Rating:
Summary: Two great actors in a really bad film!
Review: He was outstanding in TopGun and she is brilliant in anything... but this film was a complete waste of effort and a total waste of anyones time watching! It has to rate as one of my all time worst movies along with Mollhaland falls and Hicky and Boggs! The menu is great seeing Nicole loose her dress but that's about all I enjoyed!

Rating:
Summary: Eyes Wide Open
Review: Stanley Kubrick's final film is truly one of mystery and intrigue. Eyes Wide Shut was a deep journey of one man's darkest thoughts and the surroundings that beckoned him into his sexually frustrating situation. Every scene is intricately done, with each character taking his/her full fifteen minutes in front of the camera. As I progressed further and further into the core of this dreamlike drama, I found myself wanting more and more of this intoxicating film. The best part of this movie is its wide interpretation left for the viewer to fill. If you watch Eyes Wide Shut, come with an open mind and be ready for a deep analysis that will make you appreciate this film's content.

Rating:
Summary: Watch the mirrors
Review: I see little need to convince the naysayers, but for those willing to give the time and concentration - the remarkable thing about Eyes Wide Shut is the astonishing parallels with another of Kubrick's works: The Shining. These two films have a strange, almost uncanny thematic kinship. The plot structures are also, yes, very similar - the male protagonists in both films rebel against their familial bonds and find themselves in the grip of more seductive - and dangerous - forces. Most enigmatic, the menace of Kubrick's ghostly elites at the Outlook and his masked elites at the orgy - a surreal, spectral treatment of class arrogance that binds these two films like distorted mirror images of one another -(incidentally, watch the way Kubrick uses mirrors in each film.) Kubrick has left us a wonderful puzzle. It is worth pursuing.

Rating:
Summary: Another Review
Review: Eyes Wide Shut is an excellent socio-sexual drama directed by Stanley Kubrick. The Movie follows Dr. Bill Hardford (Tom Cruise) as his eyes become wide open to the sexual nature of society after his wife's (Nicole Kidman) revelation of a near sexual affair. Kubrick's final film is a masterpeice all its own. It contains stunning light visuals and beautiful color schemes. The DVD version has extra features such as the original theatrical trailer, and interviews with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman in rememberance of the late Stanley Kubrick. Eyes Wide Shut is an excellent addition to any film library.

Rating:
Summary: Drink plenty of coffee before watching this one.
Review: Words cannot describe how BAD this film is. The scenes are so long and drawn out that you want to run screaming from the room. It will take more than a little nudity to make this film vaguely interesting. Save your money!

Rating:
Summary: Kubrick's Rorschach
Review: The love-it versus hate-it camps in Kubrick's audience seem more polarized than combatants in many of the world's political hotspots! It's an amazing feat in itself, to generate such visceral response in so many, yet Kubrick has done it repeatedly. Merely "long and boring" movies do not compel such emotional outpourings. The key to viewing "Eyes Wide Shut" is to do so shorn of expectations and considerations about its marketing. Enter the film as you would a dream of a long ago fairytale labryinth.

Rating:
Summary: A Truly Brilliant Masterpiece!
Review: "Eyes Wide Shut" is Stanley Kubrick's final work, and it is an amazing film! The cinematography is vivid and lavish, with strong performances all around. The visuals are absolutely stunning, and the plot is intriguing! Underdevelopment of Cruise's character, underuse of Kidman, and overlength are slight problems, but managable. All in all, it's a truly magnificent film!