I'm a pretty big fan of The Who. I assume most who have seen this film are as well. And though I have listened through most of their albums, I haven't yet gotten to 1969's Tommy, what most call the first rock opera to ever come into existence. It wasn't until a couple days ago that I found out there was a film adaptation- and after watching the best quality trailer I could find, I just knew I had to have my friends watch it with me. It was confusing to the point of intrigue. All we had provided ourselves with was a premise: a blind, dumb, and deaf kid becomes a pinball wizard and starts a cult. An interesting story, to say the least.
So, my friends come over, and we all sit down and start it up. Right from the start, we're all puzzled as to what's happening in the film, as the first seven minutes or so has no talking (or singing I should say, considering this is an entirely musical film). And as the movie goes on, we just get more and more confused, though we did manage to find humour in it. The Marilyn Monroe cult, the strange scenes of Tommy aimlessly gazing at the mirror, Elton John's huge boots... it was all crazy. Though, as the film went on, the laughs died off, and we were all sort of waiting for it to be over. Now, yes, I know it's an adaptation of a double-disc rock opera so it has to be long, but after a while the ridiculousness of it all isn't really entertaining enough for you to actually sit through the whole thing. And while I was a little more forgiving towards the film for the first film, the moment Tommy regained his senses and began his cult the quality started to take a nosedive. However, I could certainly enjoy the first half.
After I bid my friends adieu, I decided to give the film a second look all on my own. I had gained the context of what was going on, and I assured myself that my experience would be heightened. And it was, though the second half still didn't sit well with me. Though, that's a fault on the original album's part, not the film's. When Tommy opened his mouth, the movie just lost me.
Tommy isn't really a bad film. It's not even a bad adaptation, really. It seems to be a movie intended for hardcore Who fans and people who have actually listened to the album. Without context, it can seem like a bit of a mess, which were my and my friends' thoughts after getting through it the first time.
If you ever want to watch the Tommy movie, read up about the source material first. Don't go in blind (no pun intended), it'll do you no good. If you dig The Who, psychedelic imagery, and stories about young blind, deaf, and dumb men mastering pinball and starting cults, this is the movie for you. It's not a classic by any means, but it can still be enjoyed nonetheless.
So, my friends come over, and we all sit down and start it up. Right from the start, we're all puzzled as to what's happening in the film, as the first seven minutes or so has no talking (or singing I should say, considering this is an entirely musical film). And as the movie goes on, we just get more and more confused, though we did manage to find humour in it. The Marilyn Monroe cult, the strange scenes of Tommy aimlessly gazing at the mirror, Elton John's huge boots... it was all crazy. Though, as the film went on, the laughs died off, and we were all sort of waiting for it to be over. Now, yes, I know it's an adaptation of a double-disc rock opera so it has to be long, but after a while the ridiculousness of it all isn't really entertaining enough for you to actually sit through the whole thing. And while I was a little more forgiving towards the film for the first film, the moment Tommy regained his senses and began his cult the quality started to take a nosedive. However, I could certainly enjoy the first half.
After I bid my friends adieu, I decided to give the film a second look all on my own. I had gained the context of what was going on, and I assured myself that my experience would be heightened. And it was, though the second half still didn't sit well with me. Though, that's a fault on the original album's part, not the film's. When Tommy opened his mouth, the movie just lost me.
Tommy isn't really a bad film. It's not even a bad adaptation, really. It seems to be a movie intended for hardcore Who fans and people who have actually listened to the album. Without context, it can seem like a bit of a mess, which were my and my friends' thoughts after getting through it the first time.
If you ever want to watch the Tommy movie, read up about the source material first. Don't go in blind (no pun intended), it'll do you no good. If you dig The Who, psychedelic imagery, and stories about young blind, deaf, and dumb men mastering pinball and starting cults, this is the movie for you. It's not a classic by any means, but it can still be enjoyed nonetheless.