Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

If you're reading this review, you probably skipped this in theaters and wonder if it's worth a buy on Blu-Ray. It is. This is the most under-rated movie I am aware of ... I suspect it will become a quiet cult classic and I look forward to watching it again. After watching the movie, I read a handful of critical reviews to see what the problems were. Mostly, critics panned "plot holes" and "logical errors," but every specific complaint I read was actually addressed within the movie. (Explicitly even, through dialogue.) I suspect the problem is this: the movie is a slow-burn drama and open to several channels of interpretation. One of the central questions of the story is whether or not Dr. Caster was successfully "uploaded," or if the machine is something else altogether. The movie provides a couple of suggestions, and it does favor one over the other, but it allows you to draw your own conclusions. Such is the nature of a lot of the plot points. You get to decide who the villains are and who the good guys are (if there are any). You get to decide how a machine can (or can't) reconcile love. You get to decide the meaning of the "religious" imagery that enters the movie partway through. The film is brilliantly nuanced, and it seems to have compelling arguments for both sides on pretty much every issue it presents -- which bothered a lot of the people in the theatre. My interpretation of the movie was satisfying, yours may not be. I've read a lot of comments on the internet as to why someone hated the "message" or the "plot" and almost every single time I find myself thinking, "But that's not the way I saw it." Even if you go into this movie not caring so much about the philosophical aspects, it functions as a beautiful, yet oh-so-messed-up, love story that brought a tear to my eyes. The movie does have a couple of failings ... there are exactly two moments that come across as cheesy. One of these moments is at the beginning (this won't spoil anything): a student asks Dr. Caster if he's basically trying to create his own "god" through technology. The line itself was a bit cheesy, but the acting was so over-the-top, I don't understand why the studio didn't mandate a re-shoot. Some of the technology may seem a bit "fantastic" to those who have never picked up the tech section of the New York Times, and I'm hoping that a second viewing will answer a question I had about the nature of an injection that happens in the third act of the film. Be warned: this is NOT an action film, and you will have to pay attention to the dialogue and form your own opinions as you go along to have a pleasant viewing experience. Even then, your opinions will be continually challenged, and it's a fun back-and-forth if you like that sort of thing. (I do.) UPDATE: The quality of the Blu-Ray itself is a disappointment. It appears they've applied a fair amount of DNR to the image, which *does* affect the level of detail, contrary to what you may read elsewhere, and it affects it drastically. It's especially disappointing, because the detail and grain were part of what made the image so intriguing in theatres. The audio mix is excellent, so no complaints there. But the special features are essentially non-existent -- you'll get through everything in 15 minutes. (Literally.) The "viral" videos are included, which is nice. A commentary with the writer would have been a fantastic addition, but I suppose you can't fault Warner for not wanting to spend time/money on a film that flopped in the box office. With that in mind, I'll step down the recommendation to "worth a buy, but make sure you get a good price for it."