The Tree of Life Review

Welcome to my first review of my Oscar marathon, where I review many different Best Picture nominated films throughout the years. To begin, I'll go with one of this year's nominee's, The Tree of Life. Enjoy:




This is a movie that you need full focus on, as it can be confusing and surreal, and to some people, that's a bad thing, but if you really look closely, you may discover something magical, something Malick probably intended, but it's so much more than his experimental film. He put's great time and effort into the story and makes sure the imagery is similar to the story, so much so that I consider it one of the closest films ever to express inner piece, along with classics like 2001: A Space Odyssey. It has flaws, sure, but if you look deep enough within the story and the imagery, you will enjoy it more than you'd ever expect. The story follows Jack, from childhood (Hunter McCracken) to adulthood (Sean Penn). It shows his relationships with his brothers, his friends, his mother, played by Jessica Chastain (Fun fact, she's in 2 films nominated for Best Picture this year, this and "The Help"), and his father, played by Brad Pitt (Who's ALSO in 2 Best Picture nominated films this year, this and "Moneyball"). His mother was nice and kind to everyone in the family, but the father was very easily tempered and often mean to his children and his wife. It doesn't sound like much, but trust me, it has a lot of meaning when combined with the outstanding imagery. The characters themselves are very well done and realistic. They have great lines and act as like they're real life people. None of them are perfect, but that's what makes them so realistic and likable, well, MOST of them are likable. The father expects to much from his children, so it makes him seem quite vicious and unpredictable, but, again, even though he's unlikable, he's a very realistic character, and along with that, you have genuine fear of this guy. Jack is a very likable character, and you're scared for him when he's around his own father. It adds unexpected suspense to the film, and I commend the film for it. So, I liked the characters, but were they played well. YES. YES THEY WERE. Brad Pitt was scary and in character very well, Penn didn't do much, but was very effective to the film itself, Chastain was awesome and also well into her character, and the newcomer, Hunter McCracken, and I honestly believe he has a future in film. Now, it's time for the "Best and Worst of "The Tree of Life". The best, although I love the character development and acting, I'll have to say the best is the direction, by good ol' Terrence Malick. A little back story: Before I watched this movie, I was nervous Malick was directing, as the only movie I've seen at that point by him was "The Thin Red Line", which, in my opinion, was OK at best. However, he executes such a surreal, yet somehow relaxing atmosphere, as well as making the imagery in the film make SENSE (Unlike that ending scene in 2001). So Malick really is the best part of this film, but what about the worst? The worst, in my opinion, is several scenes in the first hour. Don't understand? Let me explain: In the opening hour, it's just comparing imagery, such as space, trees, etc, to the story that we're about to watch. That's all fine and good, but the problem with this is that they show the characters in the first hour, they explain their personality via visual imagery and spoken poetry, which is a brilliant idea, but with the characters so developed and interesting, you want to see how they interact with each other, see their relationship with the other characters, you know. Unfortunately, you have to wait a FULL HOUR just to get sensible interaction. It brings the movie down as instead of being fully captivated in the stunning visuals, you're awaiting a strip of dialogue from one character to another, and with the long wait, you're only half enjoying the film itself. Luckily though, when the characters DO interact, it's not disappointing, so I'll give it that. Also, the visuals give you something to think about, so a good amount of the first hour, you forget all about it. Overall, it's an outstanding film, and besides a few very annoying faults, it's highly recommended, but only if you have time to watch it over again, to fully understand the meaning of the film.

4.5/5