2 years ago, 1996. A wednesday in april, 8:00pm. As usual I was visiting the sneak-preview in Breda. What movie will it be this time? Exellent, good, average, or horrible? Everything was possible. This time it was something me and a lot of people nerver saw before. After Lenny's magic words "Yeah, boot it" the movie jumped of with one of the best shots I ever saw (that they didn't get an Academy Award nomination for that is a complete mystery). Never before I felt like I was really IN a movie. When the man dropped dead and Lenny jumped to reality, a lot of people really were shocked. Wow , this movie can't go wrong from now on! And that wasn't the only "feel like in a movie" shot. The rape-scene a few minutes before the intermission is one that always will be with you all the time. No way you can ever forget that part!
While the movie was playing I started to realise that the new millennium "Is upon us". It was less than four years or we would be there. And still the movie was science-fiction, although that part came completely reasonable. I really think that one day virtual reality will look much like this in a few years.
Also the music was a positive surprise. Not the usual classic-oriented stuff you usually hear but a mix of ambient, trash and techno. After that scene in which it was used "Coral Lounge" kept pumpin' in my head. The end credits in combination with "While the Earth sleeps" was/is the best ever so far. One that lets you sit till the very end of the celluloid. When the end credits start, you only could realize you just saw one of the best movies of all time... Or just missed it.
What is more positive of this movie? Well, the script is very well -considered. James Cameron did a really good job there (why did he completely blew it for "Titanic"?). You could take a lot of quotes out of it, and the script itself is brought in a convincing way also. The actors really seem to mean what they say. Sometimes the script lets you think about things. Just listen to Max's "Everything has already been done" -speech to give an example.
After all remains one question: Why wasn't this movie such a big success? Under-hyped, too alternative, too violent? I really don't know. A lot of people who also saw this movie almost all agree with me that this is a really good picture indeed. Of all the visitors at the sneak-preview that day (april 1996) the average was about 7,4-7,5 so it could have been a big hit in The Netherlands, wasn't it that it only screened in the four major cities. A strong recommendation is placed here: A worldwide re-release at the end of 1999. Don't make the same mistakes as in 1995-1996, because this movie deserves much-MUCH better. It's not my personal best movie of all time but a very close second.
While the movie was playing I started to realise that the new millennium "Is upon us". It was less than four years or we would be there. And still the movie was science-fiction, although that part came completely reasonable. I really think that one day virtual reality will look much like this in a few years.
Also the music was a positive surprise. Not the usual classic-oriented stuff you usually hear but a mix of ambient, trash and techno. After that scene in which it was used "Coral Lounge" kept pumpin' in my head. The end credits in combination with "While the Earth sleeps" was/is the best ever so far. One that lets you sit till the very end of the celluloid. When the end credits start, you only could realize you just saw one of the best movies of all time... Or just missed it.
What is more positive of this movie? Well, the script is very well -considered. James Cameron did a really good job there (why did he completely blew it for "Titanic"?). You could take a lot of quotes out of it, and the script itself is brought in a convincing way also. The actors really seem to mean what they say. Sometimes the script lets you think about things. Just listen to Max's "Everything has already been done" -speech to give an example.
After all remains one question: Why wasn't this movie such a big success? Under-hyped, too alternative, too violent? I really don't know. A lot of people who also saw this movie almost all agree with me that this is a really good picture indeed. Of all the visitors at the sneak-preview that day (april 1996) the average was about 7,4-7,5 so it could have been a big hit in The Netherlands, wasn't it that it only screened in the four major cities. A strong recommendation is placed here: A worldwide re-release at the end of 1999. Don't make the same mistakes as in 1995-1996, because this movie deserves much-MUCH better. It's not my personal best movie of all time but a very close second.
