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The Zero Theorem

The Zero Theorem (2014)

August. 19,2014
|
6
|
R
| Fantasy Drama Science Fiction

A computer hacker's goal to discover the reason for human existence continually finds his work interrupted thanks to the Management; this time, they send a teenager and lusty love interest to distract him.

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Redwarmin
2014/08/19

This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

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Mandeep Tyson
2014/08/20

The acting in this movie is really good.

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Bumpy Chip
2014/08/21

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

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Scarlet
2014/08/22

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

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The Movie Diorama
2014/08/23

At the time of this review, this is my first Gilliam film. Having heard how zany 'Brazil' and 'Twelve Monkeys' were, I thought to attempt one of his flicks. So the uninitiated has now become...initiated. And honestly I didn't know what to expect. A recluse computer genius is tasked with cracking The Zero Theorem, a theory set out to prove the meaning of life. "Zero must equal 100%", a line of dialogue that is often referred to throughout the runtime of this zany sci-fi flick. Conceptualising the idea that everything is nothing, Gilliam bravely thematically questions why we live and what purpose we have in the grand scheme of things. Unfortunately though, the themes are sacrificed to make way for his trademark quirks. The flamboyant set designs, vibrant costumes and dystopian production enhances the aesthetic appeal that most Gilliam fans desire. It harks back to classic 80s sci-fi whilst implementing modernised technologies including virtual reality and mathematical equations attached to cubes within a computer simulation that amalgamate to make an impossible theorem. The program that contains the formulae was strangely hypnotising, following floating cubes in a cubic infrastructure was a rather weird experience. Reminded me of a Windows 98 screensaver. The acting was fantastic all round, particularly Waltz who's central performance deftly carries the whole film. Swinton performs a rap song by the way, that's more than enough reasoning to go out and watch this. I appreciated the subtle comedic undertone that the narrative upholds, however beneath the authentic aesthetics is a fictionalised idea that gets lost. It's muddled and unfortunately lacks clarity. The last ten minutes will leave you wondering "what the heck is going on right now?" as you admire Waltz's committed performance. Social themes of loneliness and stress, whilst are casually explored, aren't put to use to develop the characters further. The Zero Theorem certainly isn't getting a zero from me, but it's style over substance.

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rzajac
2014/08/24

Every now and then I see a flick which really does appear to be one in which the scenarist/writer successfully got a message radioed in by a very pure channeling of the subconscious mind, then never got around to asking the subconscious what it was on about. In this case, the subconscious might have told the writer, "Oh, I need to get an important message to..." me; the guy writing the IMDb comment you're reading.Now, hang in with me here. I say "every now and then" for a reason. If flicks did this more often, I'd look into getting on meds. The point here is that there are just a few too many data points that touch on aspects of my life which... seem... (tho I could be wrong on this) *very* personal.Qohen is very much me. I suppose there may be more folks like me than I realize, and Gilliam & Co. thought to give my forgotten caste a little love, this go-'round.There are, of course, more general, social and technological commentaries which are are like a fish tank water in which swim many interesting species. But Qohen is an odd fish indeed, and very much reflects what I'm going though in my life.I think this flick languishes in the 6.x IMDb score doldrums because... well, for the same reason that a film pitched to my little demographic would bewilder most folks; just as I tend to bewilder most folks.It's a flick that yearns to reach out to all, even though it's not a universal story; how many people are thinking like Qohen?; that he can use the tools provided by an evolving hi-tech/hi-stimulation milieu and turn them to the effect of achieving Bodhisattva-hood? Essentially, building a raft from the flotsam and jetsam of a society that inhumanly bends you to its damnable rules and riding it down the existential maelstrom of ultimate negation, successfully, via the application of a perfectly understood principle?Technically, the film is an absolute wonder. Gilliam's famous penchant for swimming, kaleidoscopic detail is expressed very, very well here. I've always loved this. Also, for such a bizarre film, there's an aspect to production which is strangely "old school": Specifically, the script feels like a stageplay with a fingernail grip on discernible narrative, the actors driven by ogrelike forces to breathe life into it in spite of itself. Again, another cause for the film to alienate some, yet find a niche in my tired old heart; when done "right" this works for me, and by my lights it's done right here.

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The Couchpotatoes
2014/08/25

I had no clue what kind of movie I was going to watch before I saw Terry Gilliam's name in the opening credits. As soon I saw his name I knew it was going to be a weird movie. Nothing wrong with a bit of strangeness but with The Zero Theorem I was a bit disappointed. Because it's basically about nothing. It all has no point. If life has no point than this movie got it right. But to me it was just too confusing. I still give it a five because of the filming and the weird surroundings. And of course for the excellent acting of Christoph Waltz. He's a great actor and even in movies about nothing he stands out. But great acting and good filming don't mean necessarily a good movie. It was too pointless for me.

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gcsman
2014/08/26

Saying that this is a Terry Gilliam film tells you a lot about what to expect: offbeat and sometimes downright weird visuals, nonlinear dialog, an obscure plot (if there even is one). Not to everyone's taste though.Qohen (Christoph Waltz) has been tasked by Management (a barely recognizable Matt Damon, who's certainly an odd choice for a Terry Gilliam script -- he's just too down-to-earth) to prove the Zero Theorem, which means that everything there is will add up ultimately to nothing. Working on the 'proof' seems to consist of a video-game-gone-wild where he must move blocks of preset equations around in a vast landscape of similar blocks. But every one of his attempts just ends in frustration and feeds his natural tendency to spiritual malaise and depression. Or something. It all seems rather aimless, which Management seemed to know all along. Young Bob (Lukas Hedges) drops in occasionally to stimulate Qohen intellectually, and Bainsley (Melanie Thierry) comes by for stimulation on the emotional++ side. But ultimately our hero still seems to prefer isolation.For the sets, think Blade Runner as rendered by a cartoonist on LSD. There's occasional absurdist humor, which is all in the backgrounds -- such as when Bob and Qohen are sitting in a town plaza where a phalanx of 'Forbidden' signs disallows every conceivable kind of activity appropriate for a community park, or even inactivity. And we get some genuinely arresting visuals along the way, such as the Virtual Reality beach of lurid colors where Qohen spends down time, or the giant black hole that haunts his dreams. These lead to a VR-within-VR fantasy scene where Qohen and Bainsley cling naked to each other while falling in to the same black hole.If you want linear storytelling, this isn't it. At the end I was left wondering what the point was -- any kind of point. The supposedly deep philosophical questions raised about life, the universe, human connections don't seems to go beyond sophomoric meandering. For the sake of the visuals though, I give this 5/10.

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