I was fortunate to see Shutter Island on Saturday night. It almost didn’t happen as we celebrated Henry’s birthday with family that day and he was amped up beyond measure. Believe me, after hosting both sides of your family and catering to a sugar-powered 3 year-old who doesn’t want to take a nap… you don’t want to do anything.
But I knew if I didn’t see Shutter Island on Saturday night, I wasn’t going to see it at all. So, droopy-eyed and exhausted, I went. It didn’t disappoint.
There isn’t a lot I can say about Shutter Island without spoiling the details. But I have read a few reviews and the fan reaction online and I have to say I don’t understand where some of the critics are coming from.
Some have complained that the ending is too predictable or that Martin Scorsese has given in to his inner M. Night Shamalyan. These people, I think, have missed the point.
Yes, Shutter Island is rife with twists, turns and red herrings. But the point is not to figure out “the twist.” The point is that Scorsese is leading you down a rabbit hole. He’s trying to make YOU feel crazy. He does a good job of it, too. Thundering orchestral notes in the score communicate a foreboding, paranoid mood almost instantly. Scorsese directs the pants off this thing.
People looking for the twist are only doing so because they want to feel smarter than the movie. And when the ending is revealed not to be as potent a brain-scrambler as they had anticipated, they claim the rest of the film to be faulty.
I will admit that I spent a good part of the second act trying to to stay a step ahead of the movie. I kept anticipating something dramatic would happen to Mark Ruffalo’s character and convinced myself there was some significance to the Band-Aid Leonard DiCaprio’s character wears on his forehead for the majority of the film.
Ultimately, these details don’t matter. But the film makes you question if they are. This is what I mean when I say Scorsese is trying to give you the feeling of insanity. You examine the details, your mind loops over the facts again and again. You can never really trust what you’re seeing, but you feel self-righteous in your focus and concentration.
As New York Times critic A.O. Scott puts it in his review, “Mr. Scorsese in effect forces you to study the threads on the rug he is preparing, with lugubrious deliberateness, to pull out from under you.”
Unfortunately, Mr. Scott saw this as a negative. He panned the film as he continued “As the final revelations approach, the stakes diminish precipitously, and the sense that the whole movie has been a strained and pointless contrivance starts to take hold.”
What A.O. Scott found to be a strained and pointless contrivance, I found to be an expertly executed trip down the darkened mineshaft of one man’s deteriorating mental state.
There are one or two conclusions to draw from this. Either I am an extremely simple man who requires uncomplicated entertainment or critics like A.O. Scott are off-base in their assumption that Scorsese needs to be tackling more “serious” material.
Could there be a little hero worship mixed in with my support for Shutter Island? Sure. I think the last few comics here on the site have revealed that.
But is there also the potential for critics like A.O. Scott to trying and buff some of the shine of Scorsese’s career to counteract the esteem he’s been given in his career? Absolutely.
Even if you don’t like the film, I think there has to be something wrong with you to give it an outright pan. Shutter Island is not a case of lost potential and there are certainly worse ways to spend 2 hours in a movie theater.
That sounds like faint praise. But the point is, compared to what is usually in theaters this time of year, Shutter Island is like a sumptuous feast to a starving man. I think curious, respectful film fans owe it to themselves to see it – if for no other reason than to watch Scorsese do what he does best.
Did you see Shutter Island this weekend? If so, what did you think? Leave your comments below!
No you didn't...
You saw Valentine's Day for the third time.
Also, you're not really talking to me right now.
You're talking to a stop sign.
I haven’t seen the movie yet, and I’m not sure if I will before DVD considering I have a 1 month old (along with my 3 year old) at the house. But I’m glad to see that you (and Berardinelli) like it. That’s enough to make me confident that I will like it as well.
“Even if you don’t like the film, I think there has to be something wrong with you to give it an outright pan. Shutter Island is not a case of lost potential and there are certainly worse ways to spend 2 hours in a movie theater.”
Funny, that was my exact comment about Avatar a few weeks ago. Look how the tables have turned! 😉
@Andre
How have the tables turned? I saw Avatar. I appreciate the technical achievement. I never gave it an outright pan.
I saw it twice over the weekend, and I think it shall join Aviator and Last Temptation as one of my all time favorite Scorsese films.
My point about Avatar was that anyone giving it an outright thumbs down was just wrong. You’ve just said the exact same thing about Shutter Island.
With that said, I’ll probably see Shutter Island sometime this week. It kind of sucks going into a movie knowing in advance that there’s going to be a twist at the end, but truth be told, just from watching the trailers, the movie seemed to lend itself to twists. Regardless, I’m a pretty big fan of DiCaprio nowadays, so I usually end up seeing whatever he’s in. It’s funny, 6-7 years ago, I used to call him DiCrapio because of Titanic, but now, I respect him as an actor. He makes interesting choices and is always convincing. I don’t recall if he’s won an Oscar for his role in The Aviator, but if not, he should’ve won it. He was great in that movie. So was he in Blood Diamond and Catch Me If You Can. (I still haven’t seen The Departed though.)
@Andre
So basically you’re drawing a parallel between your opinion of Avatar and my opinion of Shutter Island?
Your use of the phrase “look at how the tables have turned” implied some kind of hypocrisy on my part.
I thought it had some interesting things to it, but over all was very disappointing. It seemed very average to me.
I saw the midnight showing of Shutter Island on thursday, and boy, what a ride! The directing by Scorsese is amazing, and at times you think he’s off his rocker, but by the end, you realize the genius of the film. I rarely agree with the NYT reviews of movies, I trust good ol’ Roger Ebert for my reviews. He never fails me. After reading his reviews I always know if I want to see the movie still or not, or how (theatre or dvd). He is a great writer who isn’t out to boost or destroy careers, he’s there to tell it the way he sees it.
Tom, I’m glad we both enjoyed Shutter Island. also, great comic. makes light of the movie in respectful way, especially for those who saw it already (and possibly have to shake their own heads to keep them on straight after that ride).
You should have ended it, “I’m on a horse!”
(Look at the comic. Now look away. Now look back…)
“Your use of the phrase “look at how the tables have turned” implied some kind of hypocrisy on my part.”
I suppose I did. I don’t know… it just sounds to me that you were predisposed to love Shutter Island (because of its director?) whereas you were predisposed to hate Avatar (because of its big budget/hype?). It seems that your take on those two films was pretty clear even before you saw them. Alright, enough about Avatar talk. (I know I said this before, but now it’s true.)
Also, and I hate to say this, but I think you’ve changed over the last year or two. As you understandly have less and less time to actually watch movies in theaters, I find that you’re talking more about the hype, titles, budget, posters, previews/trailers, etc. of the movies rather than the movies themselves. I suppose it’s normal as you’re busier than ever with the family, school, etc., but it is different than before. I remember when your Monday posts used to have 2 or 3 mini-reviews of movies you’d seen over the weekend. These days, we’re lucky if you’ve actually seen one! Not really a criticism, more of an observation.
@Andre,
I suppose that there was an opportunity to give Shutter Island a pass based on my admiration for Martin Scorsese. But I don’t think that’s what happened.
And I don’t think I was predisposed to hate Avatar based on budget or hype. I admire James Cameron as much as Martin Scorsese, but Avatar’s story let me down in the end.
The most important difference in this scenario is that I feel the criticisms being lobbed against Shutter Island aren’t justifiable based on what I felt Scorsese was trying to do with the mood and tone of the piece. Considering the subject matter, I think there is a great opportunity for misunderstanding among critics. With Avatar, even though there is much about the movie I admire, I recognize it’s faults in terms of story and acting.
I think because I don’t like Avatar as much as you do, you’ve come to categorize me as a hater. I appreciate Avatar, but I don’t love it and I don’t think anything but what was on screen contributed to my opinion.
I’m sorry if you’re disappointed that I’m not seeing as many movies as I used to, but I don’t know what you want me to do about it. My responsibilities are different these days. I think if you read the archives, you’ll find that I’ve always talked hype, titles, budget… whatever. Those are all elements of movie-going from the fan’s perspective that I’ve incorporated into the comic because it’s simply impossible to see every movie each weekend for 8 years.
Oh, and I forgot to mention that I saw The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus on Friday. Without a doubt the most bizarre movie I have ever seen. You could really feel the director struggling to keep it together all along with Heath’s death. Definitely original and great effects, but I didn’t like it very much. It just didn’t make sense to me.
I think part of what critics are failing to take into consideration is that “Shutter Island” is based on a book that itself is an homage, so if its plot is a bit predicatable…well, that’s the point!!
I thoroughly enjoyed “Shutter Island” and thought it was very well done, beautifully filmed, had excellent performances, and kept my rapt attention during the entire 2+ hours (unlike Avatar, during which I kept checking the time every 20 min or so waiting for it to be over). And I agree that there are many MANY worse movies out there wasting film, people’s time, and their money.
Tom, just keep doing what you do, please.
Maybe throw in a DVD review once in a while? That would compensate a little bit, I think. How about short DVD reviews of some of the major movies for the Oscars? The Hurt Locker, for instance.
As a side note, I have just noticed that Terry Gilliam has been nominated for best Director of Dr Parnassus. I can’t say I agree with that nomination. Art direction maybe, but director? The movie was mostly a mess, I thought.
I’m going to see “Wolfman” this weekend. I’ll see “Shutter Island” when it’s out on DVD. So, um, Tom….did you notice that comic Tom looks like an inmate when he’s in his PJ’s?
I saw Shutter Island, and right after I wasn’t really digging it, but as the day wore on and I thought more about it I started to really like it. So my first reaction was to not like it because of the standard story, but in the end I found it to be one of the better movies this year.
Tom, today’s comic was freaking brilliant
Thank you, Kurtz. I sincerely appreciate that! 🙂
Didn’t see the movie, but I’ll definitely put it on the DVD-watch list. Just no time to go to the theatre.
Awesome comic, though. I love how it blends so well with the previous one. Poor, poor crazy Tom.
The thing is, for some time I’ve found myself losing faith in the review staff at the NEW YORK TIMES. Ever since Janet Maslin moved over to books, they’ve had writing for them a set of folks that took all of the annoying traits of Rex Reed as their models, but none of the temperament or balance a good reviewer (even Reed) should bring to the craft.
Elvis Mitchell was the first sign that things were going downhill. Even though he would more often than not ‘get’ a movie, appreciating the touchpoints a genre picture needed to include, his reliance on keeping a scorecard as to how many actors from a particular group appeared in the pic ultimately destroyed his credibility. (His being caught in the blast radius when the Jayson Blair affair blew up there didn’t help much either.)
Then came Manohla Dargis, who started there with a review of THE POLAR EXPRESS that was a downright scree against studio film making at decibels that would have blown out a Who concert. From there, it didn’t get better; she’s too damn strident and permanently PO’d at anything that had a crew behind the lens that was over five bodies to take her seriously anymore.
And now Scott’s starting to veer into the dark patch that has over it a sign that reads, “I write about film so therefore I MUST KNOW more about it than you!” There was a time when the TIMES was the best source for film critique, but that day seems as far removed as Le Belle Epoque from our time. I see stuff like this and part of me wants to take a few Redbox machines and just barricade them all in their offices with them…
I saw it Saturday and enjoyed it thoroughly. Definitely worth seeing in the theater.
I don’t know that I’ve ever had a dream where I was talking to a street sign. You have some messed up dreams…and some snappy orange PJs. 😉
Tom, thanks for your reviews and funny takes on film. Funny stuff.
Hey, Andre…you’re free to start your own website about movies if you feel the quality and quantity on Theatre Hopper is beginning to trial off according to your standards.
I’m not attempting to start a flame war, as I’m also being gracious by concluding that you know enough about movies that you could have your own movie site that would be interesting to visit.
Best wishes.
Before watching this movie, a friend of mine said that she saw a review that revealed there was to be a “twist” near the end of the movie. I believe thats how I found the movie to be a bit predictible.. But What I found most interesting about Shutter Island, is that even though it was evident what was to come, I found myself hoping that it doesnt happen, well more cheering the character on just to hope that this “twist” in the end is false. I saw DiCaprio’s character as sort of “the little engine that could” you know.. and I was cheering for it to just make it over that mountain… and that was what I loved about the movie, was it brought out such an emotion FROM the audience.
I thoroughly enjoyed Shutter Island. I read reviews that didn’t like it because it wasn’t whatever the reviewer wanted it to be–scary, good twist, whatever. I enjoyed it for what it was. It’s exactly what Tom says it is: a trip down the rabbit hole. Quality film. The direction is fantastic. Leo is convincing. I’ve always liked Mark Ruffallo since The Last Castle. Good film. Makes the viewer think.
i think you called it. shutter island was, for me, the ultimate twist movie.
was the twist one i’ve seen before? yeah, pretty much.
was i surprised? no, not really. i guessed the ending within the first ten minutes.
was i maybe disappointed that it followed through with the twist and didn’t try to turn that paradigm on its head? a little, unfairly.
did i love it regardless? absolutely.
would i have liked more of the creepy lady from the previews? yeah, but that’s hardly the point of the movie.
i did the same thing you did: try and figure out the nuances of the film… in that regard, i was disappointed when we got a full explanation at the end of the flick; i felt like they could have left a lot more to my imagination.
but the rest of the movie was just too amazing to not love wholeheartedly.
@mimi
At first, I kind of didn’t like it that Shutter Island shows all of its cards at the end. But I felt it redeemed itself with Leo’s last lines. Nice little “Ohhhhh!…” moment.
Actually, I was thinking about the creepy old lady from the previews after watching the movie. How she draws her finger to her mouth and goes “Shhhhh!” takes on a whole different meaning. Remember how Leo felt the lady who killed her husband with an axe had been coached in their interview. She had, but not in the way he originally thought!
I found todays comic hi-larious, ‘specially comic-Tom’s face in the last two panels. Cracks me up.
Also, I love the randomness of any situation that starts with “Also, ..” then ends in something completely unprecitable.
Pancakes.
@Brian
I never said the quality of Tom’s work was slipping; all I said was that he used to talk MORE about movies than he does today. He’s not as much of a “theater hopper” as he was before. That’s all. Without actual movie watching, that leaves pretty much discussion about the hype surrounding the movie before it’s out and the box office results after. Oh, and talking about the titles and posters too, as the guy from Instant Comic pointed out a few weeks ago. I wish there was a way for Tom to talk about movies themselves a bit more. As I suggested already, maybe slip in a DVD review once in a while.
I’m still a big fan of Tom’s work or else I wouldn’t be here. This is the only webcomic site I come back daily to check for updates, comments, etc. But you know, when you’re used to something for years and years (been coming here for at least 4 years now), it’s hard to see it change, even if it’s for great and undisputable reasons. It’s really too bad TH can’t be Tom’s full-time job!! That would solve everyone’s problems! 🙂
Oh dear.
I saw Shutter Island on Saturday. Packed house. I was really disappointed though.. and without spoilers, I’ll try to tell why. I think not being able to figure out a twist in a movie (or book for that matter) is kind of cheap. If there’s no indications that you’re being led astray, a twist isn’t a twist, it’s just a shot out of left field. Maybe I need a rewatch, but there wasn’t really anything that could influence you one way or another. I think the other thing that bothered me was the movie felt like a montage of arbitrary scary images… it all sort of made sense, but it was just meant to be visually.. something.. disturbing? I laughed out loud a number of times at the visuals, as well as the dialog. Normally I’d just write off a movie as being idiotic – another pile of garbage coming out of Hollywood – but this was Scorsese. Explain everything to me, then show me, then explain it again. That’s not what I expect from a master director. On an unrelated note, DiCaprio can still shriek like he used to in What’s Eating Gilber Grape.
I suppose it also didn’t help that I saw From Paris With Love immediately after. Dear lord. They couldn’t find stuntmen doughy enough to match Travolota. I think Jason Statham is the only actor that can properly say lines so cheesy.
Not a good night of theater hopping. Had to head to to pub afterwards to drown my sorrow in blueberry beer.
And before I forget, thanks for always updating on time. You’re beakon of light in an un-updated webcomc world 🙂
@colin, the fact he was having hallucinations of his wife (especially when he sees her in the cell w/ that ugly dude) is a big enough clue that maybe hes out of his friggen mind…plus when the “ugly dude” (4get his name…edward noise?) says “you did this to me”, that was also a big clue….to be fair i was aware there was a twist of some kind at the end of the movie b4 i watched it….and i feel like this “insanity” twist has been done a million times over so when i saw they were going to a mental asylum the 1st thing i thought was “Leo’s character is an insane patient”…so basically figured the movie out within the 1st few minutes….i even asked my friend who hadnt seen it what he thought it was and he nailed it w/o ever even seeing the movie….fairly obvious to me…i still enjoyed it tho…cause i couldnt have guessed every exact detail of the movie…
I also saw Shutter Island this weekend and I liked it. I thought the cinematography (stylized though it may have been) was right up my alley in terms of things I like to see and I loved the main performances. The twist was definitely the most disappointing aspect, mainly, because I’ve read so many books with that exact storyline but I also feel like the twist was not the most important part of the movie. I think that either way the movie turned in, the audience would have been disappointed because there’s really only two possible outcomes for the film. Either the suspicions Leonardo’s characters has are real and they’re messing with him or they aren’t and his suspicions have origins elsewhere in his psyche. The first one wouldn’t have been surprising enough because that was the direction the whole movie was taking it in (it was what you were being led to believe anyway so if it was the “twist” ending that he was right, it wouldn’t really have been a twist so much as a pat on the back for backing the character through the entire storyline) and the second one,… well… would have gotten the exact reaction that it did.
Although I thought the point of the movie was waaaay different than your read. I thought it was about an examination for the different motives behind murder and for the influence that not being in your right state of mind can have on those…
Though maybe I’m just reading too deeply into it and just getting way too intellectual/Crime and Punishment up in this piece. 🙁
What did the sign say on Shutter Island when there were driving to the Asylum?
@Joel,
The sign on the cemetary, you mean?
Something about “Remember us. For we, too, lived.”
Or something like that.
yeah, it was something like that, I’m trying to remember what it was exactly.
“Remember us. For we, too, lived and Laughed.”
It was “Do not forget us. (or Remember us?) For we too have once loved, laughed, lived.”
ok correction: “remember us, for we too have lived, loved, and laughed”
i saw “Shutter Island” a few days ago…i thought the movie was decent…i enjoyed it…but to be honest i knew there was a twist at the end and within the 1st 5 minutes of the movie when i was aware there were going to a mental asylum i said to myself “ok Leonardo’s character is definitely an insane patient”…it just was the most obvious twist to me…feel like its been done a million times but whatever…i still liked the movie…i couldnt guess every single detail but def. knew within minutes the main idea of the story…
Realy good film…
I also like the Shutter Island.