Shutter Island

2010 - 1/5

***SPOILER ALERT***

Although I was able to figure out the big twist (if you can call it that) the first time I saw the trailer, I was still eager to see it because I like Leo D, and Scorsese has directed a lot of good movies. I didn't think I could go wrong with this one. Considering I knew the 'what', the trailer didn't give away the 'why', so I thought it would still be worth watching. I also heard that Ruffalo's acting gives it away as well (it does, unless you're completely oblivious). None of the smaller aspects of the movie clicked together. I wanted it to be more eerie and tense. It was a let down to say the least.

Plot: C-
The movie is set in 1954, and US Federal Marshall Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio) and his new partner Chuck Aule (Ruffalo) are assigned to investigate the disappearance of a patient/criminal in a facility for the criminally insane on an isolated island. To me, this was an original plot (although other reviews I've read have stated that it is similar to other movies). There were so many directions this could have gone in; instead, Scorsese took the most boring and disinteresting route.

Script: D
The screenplay was something that should have been extraordinary - it wasn't. The one and only line I liked in the screenplay was courtesy of nurse Marino: 'This is mental institution, Marshall, for the criminally insane. 'Usual' isn't a big part of our day.'

Acting/Characters: C
Kingsly + DiCaprio + Ruffalo = a good cast; that's pretty much the only positive thing I have to say about that. Leo DiCaprio does a good job as Teddy, and he is believable as that character, but the actual character itself isn't very interesting; it remained very neutral. As I mentioned earlier, Ruffalo's acting (as Chuck) gave away the twist and it just seemed as if it was being forced and he wasn't convincing. As for Teddy's wife, Dolores, her parts were so boring to watch, and considering Teddy's mental instability started with issues with her, you would expect a strong emotional attachment, but it just seemed empty and void. There was no build up of tension between characters (mainly Teddy and the hospital staff), which is unfortunate because that's what you'd expect from this type of movie. The characters aren't supposed to like each other, and they're supposed to get under each other's skin, but nadda!

Cinematography: D
There are some nice shots, but nothing outstanding. Any shot in which Teddy was on the cliff did look nice. The first shot on the boat going to the island looked staged. Most of the shots were up close, or in enclosed spaces.

Score/Sound Effects: F
Wow, I did not like the music/score at all. It seemed as if the music wasn't paired well with what was on screen at all! When there should have been music, there wasn't and when there was, it just didnt fit. The score could have had so much impact on the viewer and added to the intensity (not that there was much intensity) of what was on screen. The lack-there-of of any sound effects was disappointing; it was the perfect atmosphere for such thing.

Overall: F
Throughout the entire movie, I got an unrealistic vibe. One part that really bugged me was Teddy's exceptional ability to climb up and down a vertical cliff - he climbed up and down that [vertical] cliff with ease. This would have been a perfect moment to add intensity to the movie; but no, it seemed as if he was walking up and down stairs.

The wife popping up so often became excessively redundant; she was a hallucination - we get it - move on! The dream sequences (with his family/during wwii) were too flashy and overdone. It really didn't add to the overall emotion of the movie. Unfortunately the only thing it did add was unnecessary minutes.

I really wanted to like this movie, however, I couldn't get into it and it fails to hold any interest at any point. I was expecting to see some information surface that would have a greater impact in terms of surprises, and twists that I hadn't seen coming; that never happened. The trailer came off as a mysterious, psychological thriller - overly promised and under-delivered. It wasn't as dark and dreary as I expected it to be. Instead of getting better, it got worse - a swing and a miss (by far, might I add).