Reviews

It seems most of the peopole who commented on the movie were only aware of the romance and the tragedy of the Doctors death. The romance itself and the tragic situation were insignificant minutiae in this movie. The meat -- if you like to find a deep thought in you entertainment -- was in the fact that both Seth and Messenger made the choice to EXPERIENCE!! I can tell you from personal history that it's much easier to be uninvolved and "outside" when you can blame it on your state of being. It's difficult to make the choice to CHANGE YOUR STATE OF BEING. It's even more difficult (heck, harder than winning a gold medal you've trained for all your life) to actually overcome the circumstances that impose separateness upon you and join a society in which you have no family, support, contacts, or history. The nobility of choosing an uncertain existence in LIFE over the emotionless, safe, untouchability of being an Angel is extreme. To then overcome the all too human response to the sudden loss of the love you used as an excuse for taking the step is only evidence of strong character. The first step in becoming mortal ennobled Seth far beyond the ability of tragedy or heroism to augment.

The basic vision of this movie struck me -- and still strikes me -- as an excellent starting point. The cinematography is marvelous and the devotion to environmental and societal questions is admirable. Even without any answers, the importance of the questions the film highlights gives it validity. Unfortunately, the writing and direction left huge holes in the logical development of "She" as an alien character. "The Man" is required to fulfill each of "She's" requirements in thought pattern and relationship development. Unfortunately "She" violates every premise she, herself, dictates. Even "The Man's" most notable leaps in understanding are insulted and demeaned by the alien visitor. When "She" stoops beneath the level of Earth human cruelty by destroying "The Man's" favorite tree (with which he had "shared blood") every supposed superiority of the proposed advanced galactic peoples is totally eradicated. The lesson seems to be that trying to communicate with a less developed individual will destroy your own more delicate feelings and understandings. What could have been a thought provoking challenge to our society wound up being a cheap grouping of pot-shots taken at civilization by childish, dissatisfied, spoiled whiners.

The director of this travesty really should study the ideas of Hitchcock and all the great horror producers, directors and writers. The essence of terror lies in the unseen and surprising. David Carson added a wasted 92 minutes of fluff to the length of the original Classic 1976 movie. The nearly pornographic attention to minor details and the insertion of scenes never written by King ruined the plot flow and gave the climax away -- just in case someone from Outer Mongolia was seeing the story for the first time. The ideal experience for anyone who found this movie less than entertaining would be to read Stephen King's excellent novel and then watch the 1976 movie starring Sissy Spacek. For those who can't handle reading the book, at least see the original movie to find out how horror was (and should always be) created on film when there were competent directors in Hollywood.

In reading the previous reviews, it struck me that almost none of you people seem to care for Science Fiction. Or, if you do, you've missed the classics upon which this story line was based. So, WARNING!!! If you don't care for the genre, you probably won't enjoy the movie unless it has a lot of special effects, your favorite actor, or some other redeeming factor not inherent in the subject matter.

Please don't misunderstand -- this is NOT a great movie -- but it stands as mediocre, definitely not the worst film ever. If you think there's anything new about the concepts treated with in the plot or the manner in which they were handled, maybe you should try reading Philip Wyley's "The Disappearance" (1974 -- out of print). Kenneth Biller took exactly the same approach, he just change the cause of the obliteration of a gender and had men wiped out instead of women. Even a reread of "On The Beach" by Neville Shute would cause you to rethink your attitude toward this movie, I believe.

If people (of either gender) have no possibility of creating relationships in what we now consider the "normal" manner, they will invariably find some other way to satisfy their needs for personal and social relationships. That does not imply that this movie, either of the books I listed, or I believe that a single-gender society would be superior. It's just a recognition of human nature. In that sense, the tale told in this film is well worth seeing once.

I've read the first 30 comments about this movie. Not once did anyone comment on the reasons why Greene (Fraser) never mentioned his religion -- the casual "joking" and "common knowledge" comments heard in the bathroom. Is it any less a matter of prejudice to use the phrase "I jewed him down" than it would be to use the term "kike"? Is telling a derogatory joke about homosexuals any more offensive than calling us "fag"? This is the only movie I can think of right off-hand other than "The Laramie Project" that makes the point that casual speech can be used as a form of maintaining prejudice. For this reason alone, "School Ties" is an important film. As a survivor of a 1964 prep school much like the one in the movie, I can tell you that the scenes and attitudes are accurately presented. I found the characters to be a little one-sided, yes. It's rare to meet any person who is as totally focused and determined as the Greene presented here. Nor is any prejudiced person or group normally so totally open in expression as the "good old boys" we see in this production. But, that's the most impressive way to show the public just how bad it is to be bigoted or to be the target of bigotry. For the production and acting values I'd give this film 6 on a scale of 10. For the "pre-star" status performances of Fraser, O'Donell, Damon, and, yes, even Affleck, I'd give it a 7.5 on a scale of 10. For the message I'd give it 9.5 on that same scale. "School Ties" is a movie that can be enjoyed by anyone who sees it. For "star followers", it has a cool four New Idols in "pre-star" roles to add to their tape collections. For the activists in the world it is a stark and dramatic example of how prevalent unrecognised bigotry is in our society.