The Manson Family (2004)

Brilliant and touching

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

This was not a nice film. It tells the tale of a serial killer and his 'family'. It's hard to follow due to the editing being completely non- linear but the story is very basic and does make sense due to its utter simplicity. The violence is repetitive but sometimes shocking and the nudity frequent and unemotional. To be honest it is not worth watching as it tells nothing new. On the plus side it held my attention and kinda told me something different about Manson but with minimal research on him and I would learn a lot more I am sure. Don't waste your time by watching this inconsistent wannabe shocker.

Manson Family, The (2003) *** (out of 4) A fake documentary by director Jim Van Bebber about the times of Charles Manson (Marcelo Games) and what led to his imprisonment. It too the director nearly fifteen years to complete this film because he had trouble getting funding but this actually helps the film because it makes the Manson footage look older than what it actually is so there's no problem getting into the "documentary" type feel. We've heard the Manson story countless times but this film looks at the infamous murders in a different way. We see the murders through the eyes of the people who thought that these killings were the right thing to do. The film is unlike any other film I've ever seen and that's what makes it so interesting. I was somewhat familiar with the story but I couldn't even blink my eyes during the movie, although some of the brutal murders made me want to turn my head away yet I couldn't. I can't say I enjoyed watching this film but I think Roger Ebert hit it perfectly with this quote from his review: We come to the question of a star rating. Convention requires me to assign stars to every film. Do I give "The Manson Family" four stars because it does what it does so successfully and uncompromisingly, or do I give it zero stars, for the same reason? I will settle on three, because it is remarkable enough I do not want to dismiss it. That doesn't mean I think you should see it.Everyone knows the story of the infamous two murders but what the director does with them here is downright shocking, vile, deranged and in the end very, very sad. The director doesn't hold back on the killings and he shows us in graphic detail the brutality of the crimes, which was very hard to watch. Thankfully the director cuts away from the Tate murder but her pleas for her unborn child gets the message across. The Manson Family is an incredibly strong piece of work but I'm not sure I'd recommend it to anyone. The way it was made in its cheapness adds a lot to the story and the director never blinks with the story. As Ebert said, I could give this four stars since it did what it was meant to. I'm just not sure I'll ever want to see it again.

After watching this movie and being very interested in this case myself, I felt compelled to write a comment on it. This movie was absolute trash. Most of it was completely falsified when compared to the real case. The worst part of this movie is the several parts in which you can clearly hear parts of an audio recording of Jim Jones that took place during the mass suicides of The Peoples Temple in Jonestown Guyana in November 1978. It doesn't make any sense because Jim Jones and The Peoples Temple had nothing at all to do with The Manson Family. Especially considering the time difference. Members of The Manson Family were arrested for their crimes in the early 1970's and Jonestown (The Peoples Temple) Tragedy didn't happen until 1978. Not to mention, I found this to be extremely disrespectful on the writers parts. How could you use an audio recording that involves Babies, children and adults being forced to drink poison and die. That sickens me.If your reason for wanting to watch this movie is because who are genuinely interested in the case of The Manson Family and/or of the Manson Family murders, then DO NOT bother watching it. It won't educate you at all or give you any solid information. Your best bet is the 1972 Documentary called 'Manson'. It contains all real footage taken by the Manson family. There are no actors in this one. http://imdb.com/title/tt0068918 If you are specifically looking for a movie and not a documentary, Both Helter Skelter movies (1976 and 2004) are also quite accurate. http://imdb.com/title/tt0074621 http://imdb.com/title/tt0074621If you have any questions on the movie or case, just ask. [email protected]

I watched The Manson Family with hope of it being a good movie as well as broadening my horizons about the mass-murder family, as I knew very little about them.Well the turn-out was that it did the second part (a little bit) but the first part it failed miserably as the movie was atrocious.From watching The Manson Family I know a little more than before. The family are a little like the Devils Reject's although nastier and crazier. This film has to be one of the weirdest and craziest films I've seen along with house of a 1000 corpses.The director Jim Van Bebber, has to be the worst around and receives my nomination for creating one of the worst films I have ever seen.I wish I could give the film some credit, but I physically can't. I know the movie is based on a true story, so the film can only go with what happened, but come on, they could of made it better. Take Wolf Creek for example, it was based on a true story just like The Manson Family although there was a difference - it was good!Before I finish, may I just laugh at the people that actually think the manson family was good. I have read other reviews, and some people have gave it a 10, and said they have only give it a 10 because of the event, and what happened. I CAN'T Believe THESE PEOPLE! A good bit of advice to them would be to STOP, think and watch the movie and ask themselves "is the movie good? is it actually worth the watch" - NO! Fair enough, an extra point or so, seeing that the film is based upon a horrific event, but I won't accept people giving it 10's!Summary: probably one of the worst 90 minutes I have spent to date. - 2/10