Rating of
3/4
Good, Disappointing, But Worth it For the End
Alex - wrote on 12/18/10
I was expecting a ton from this movie. I loved Requiem for a Dream, I really liked The Fountain, and The Wrestler was pretty good. Everything I had heard was that this movie was better than The Wrestler. Can't say I agree, but good none the less.
Black Swan is about Ballet (don't let anyone fool you). So if you aren't into the arts, you may want to stay away. The first hour was a little long to be honest. I understand that it was setting up the whole story and that things needed to be "set up" in order to make the story work. But, I expect a lot more.
Cinematography was OK in the beginning and got better as time went on. Same with the musical score. These two things are a large determining factor of how I rank movies. Not nearly as good as any of his other movies (ok, maybe better than the Wrestler here).
The story was damn good. It is very similar to The Wrestler, except Mickey Rourke and Natalie Portman are at the exact opposite points in their career. The story is told very well with some really incredible performances.
Aronofsky's best attribute as a director is not necessarily his stories (I used to think it was his cinematography until now), but his ability to crescendo the story. Bottom line is that he knows how to end a movie. No sugar coat, no drab sappy ending, just an amazing end. For that, this movie is worth seeing!
Recent Comments
Chris Kavan - wrote on 12/20/10 at 02:31 PM CT
Black Swan Review comment
I don't see it playing in Lincoln yet. I love Aronofsky's work so I hope it ends up in theaters here.
