TIGAER-DESIGN.COM_.v5 – Digital Art by Christian Hecker

I just bought me the bluray from this movie and watch it right now. The disc also contains a wonderful documentary about the making of the movie. It listed all the great things i love about this little scifi gem.

The story is basically about a research team in antarctica that stumbles about this alien lifeform that is able to change its form and shape. Of course a lot of psychological things start to go on and all the isolation from the rest of mankind is giving it all even more fire. Now these guys have to deal with the dangers of having a monster that can change its shape into anybody.

The whole mood, design and presentation of the movie is really amazing. When i see it i still have the same feeling i had when i saw it the very first time. It’s one of these old time scifi movies where there was only the practical fx approach. There were no computers at the time… and it looks amazing! Even today it can hold up. Not on every level of course… but mostly. The matte work of an vfx pioneer like Albert Whitlock rounds up the visual quality of the movie. The music from Ennio Morricone does the rest. It creates such a dangerous mood. Like it’s permanently saying “you’re not safe! watch your back!”. The crew of actors does a very good job too. At the beginning you see that it’s quite a team that knows how to handle the isolated situation in the everlasting ice. But it all starts to fall apart and you see in their faces how the situation starts to slip out of their hands.

The creature design is truly outstanding and could be seen as some sort of abstract art. Surely worth a look for anyone who’s attempting creature design concept arty stuff. It’ll, guaranteed, instantly spawn ideas! The set design, camera and lighting plays also a constant role in the movie. Certain types of scenes always have the same lighting to suggest the viewer that we are in a dangerous tense situation right now. Other scenes with no direct danger have a complete different setup. On a technical level it’s definitely one of the better Carpenters.

The movie wasn’t a big success when it was released in 1982 but over the years people understood what the movie is. The uprising of VCR at the time really helped movies like Blade Runner, The Quiet Earth and of course The Thing to find the right audience.

This movie is certainly one of Carpenters best works. If not THE best. He’s a master in creating that certain feeling of isolation. And he really nails it here. Somehow the uprising of the digital visual effects seemed to something he wasn’t able to handle too good. His latest works were not too good from my point of view. Though i haven’t seen his 2010 ‘The Ward’ yet. The Thing is definitely a recommendation. No way around it if you’re a scifi fan.

8.4/10

John Carpenter’s The Thing on IMDb

This time we have some movies that, from my point of view, are quite underrated. First of all ‘Mission To Mars’. It doesn’t get good reviews and overall it doesn’t seem to have a lot of fans. I, for my part, really really like it. The visuals are amazing and show a Planet Mars that looks real to me. some really beautiful matte work in it. The other one is Disney’s Treasureplanet. This movie is visually so inspiring and unique that i wished it would have a higher ranking within all these movies Disney made over the years. There is this one scene when they leave the spaceport and these flying whale like creatures fly along with the ship. I truly love that scene. But enough intro talk for now…

*Not listed by favourites.

Mission To Mars

A lot of folks don’t consider this movie to be a rather good one. I loved it from the first moment on. We get to see some amazing Mars vistas! The ideas in the movie are quite cool too. There are some really good moments. Especially the one where they try to rescue Tim Robbins character in space. Or when they discover the survivor on Mars. I like these movies that try to make you understand that we have absolutely no idea what’s possible out there. It inspires imaginaton.

Mission to Mars on IMDb

The Fly (1986)

Holy crap. When i was younger, and saw this movie the first time, i had nightmares! David Cronenberg is well known for his sort of weird movies. His ‘Naked Lunch’ for example… so many weird visual ideas! But the design of the ‘Brundle Fly’ at the end of the movie is so amazingly disgusting and yet fascinating. It makes you want to close your eyes but you can’t because you cannot beleive how ugly that thing looks! The movie as a whole is pretty fascinating. The whole picture of how our main character begins to change/transform. Fantastic!

The Fly on IMDb

Sky Captain And The World Of Tomorrow

This one is almost an art movie. Pretty much everything is CG and very high quality. The actors really master the fact that there is almost no reference to see except the green screen. That’s quite an accomplishment. On the other hand it’s good to see a fantastic Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and a (even if she’s normally not my case) quite sexy Angelina Jolie. Great camera work… amazing things going on… great design… a must watch!

Sky Captain And The world Of Tomorrow on IMDb

Disney’s Treasureplanet

Probably one of the most underrated movies ever! The richness of ideas and beauty in this classic book adaptation is unbelievable! All characters are lovely and even our hero kid is not the usual jerk they try to make us feel sympathy for. Visually it’s quite a feast, full of creative energy and a recommendation for some good inspiration!

Treasureplanet on IMDb

Fahrenheit 451

One of the movies the words ‘scifi classic’ were invented for. Now this movie, after a story from ray bradbury, really manages to picture a very desperate future. I just recently watched it again and must say that the topics covered in the movie are still very very prominent. The government basically tries to control the population by literally making them dumb mindless androids though controlling the media. I also had the opportunity to watch a lot of tv lately… and dear god… no wonder people become more and more stupid these days. Amazing.

Fahrenheit 451 on IMDb

Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978)

I couldn’t even describe how much i love this movie. Yes there are many versions of that story but this movie tells it best from my point of view. From minute one i love the atmosphere it creates. The acting is so good and believable. Really love Donald Sutherland in this one. The visual style they use to show the transformation of the people into these hive controlled zombies is just crazy. I would so freak out if i would see stuff like that. The movie never goes too far though. A balance act that so many movies fail to manage. This one gets it perfectly right.

Invasion Of The Body Snatchers on IMDb

End of part 5. This part again contains some of my all al alltime favourites. Especially the Body Snatchers. I’m so in love with the atmosphere it creates. Never had a similar experience in another movie. More stuff to come… stay tuned! =)

Regards

After a short break i’m back to continue this little series of posts. Again we have a few classics as well as a very low budget production with ‘Primer’. This movie is amazing and deserves a high recommendation if you have the chance to catch it somewhere. We also have some classics like ‘The Abyss’ and ‘Planet Of The Apes’. These movies shouldn’t be touched ever. ‘Planet…’ already got a remake from Tim Burton and it’s not a very good result in my opinion. Nothing can replace that fabulous Charlton Heston in the original.

*Not listed by favourites.

District 9

This movie, VFX wise, ranks right up there with Avatar for me. The whole integration of the aliens into the real life footage looks so amazingly good. It blew my mind! I also find the whole scenario pretty realistic. Maybe not the action parts. But definitely the concentration camp like institutions and how mankind would handle such a delicate situation. Of course the design is amazing and makes this movie a must watch for every scifi fan.

District 9 on IMDb

Children Of Men

This movie is quite a love affair too. Clive Owen should have gotten an oscar nomination for his part. There are so many amazing scenes where my jaw constantly drops to the ground. Especially the scenes with no cuts in them. Alfonso Cuarón really manages to create such a realistic futuristic atmosphere that really reminds you on the Half-Life 2 game/universe. To me the look of that future is a very sad picture with only a few shiny spots. But also a future that could be very true some day.

Children Of Men on IMDb

A.I.

Now that’s a movie that can make me cry everytime i see it. Yeah i’m a whiner. :D The delivered picture of mankind is a very sad one. But, like in so many other pictures, too true. It’s certainly not the most amazing movie but as you follow our main character on his search for the blue fairy… and when he finally finds her… dear lord. Time for tears. Some might argue that the last 15mins of the movie are too much and i can understand the concerns from a storytelling standpoint. Nonetheless from a scifi fan standpoint the final minutes make the movie really interesting. Again the design is outstanding and the VFX surely are an eyecatcher. I’m still wondering how the movie would have looked and felt when Stanley Kubrick had finished it and not Spielberg. I think it would have been a bit more distanced and less hearty.

A.I. on IMDb

Planet Of The Apes (1968)

The good old planet of the apes. Well these days i often think they should place a camera in a mcdonalds restaurant and just film 70mins in there. Viola… planet of the apes. But seriously. This movie is amazing. How weird must it have been for Charlton Heston when he read the script. The good thing is… he did the movie. He made it feel believable. He sold the idea. A classic!

Planet Of The Apes on IMDb

The Abyss

It’s weird how i don’t have a connection to the director James Cameron like i have to Steven Spielberg or Ridley Scott. It’s hard to describe. But when i watch the Spielberg movies i somehow have the feeling that it’s all familiar. And Ridley Scott is the visual style that gets to me. That’s not the case with Cameron’s movies. From my point of view he doesn’t have a particular good camera work in his movies. Or the stories themselfes aren’t very surprising. I don’t feel home in these movies and nonetheless his movies rank very high in my list. The Abyss is a great example for that. I really really love the idea of that movie. And with the recent oil platform problems… i wished our aliens would come up and kick some ass.

The Abyss on IMDb

Primer

A low low low low budget movie about time travel. The ideas in the movie are quite cool and make this movie definitely worth a look. No amazing CG, not the most amazing actors and not the best camera work. But the idea works! It’s amazing.

Primer on IMDb

End of part 4. This part contains some of my all al alltime favourites. Some movies will influence me in every project. More stuff in a few days. =)

Regards

So yesterday i left my warm and fluffy cave into a cold cold and wet weather to see the movie ‘Monsters’. What i expected of the movie was some action like Cloverfield. Well… not exactly like Cloverfield. Quieter and more character driven. Well it certainly is no Cloverfield but it is character driven.

The story is actually pretty simple. A journalist, currently in mexico, has to find and bring the daughter of his boss out of the country as soon as possible. Quite a big part of mexico is a quarantine zone due to extraterrestial creatures that settled there because of a crashed NASA exploration probe that brought something alien with it. Now a couple of years later some really big creatures evolved. The mexican and of course us american military is trying to keep them in the dedicated infected zone. But nature doesn’t like to be caged in. So the creatures start to spread. That setting is everywhere in the movie. Everywhere are signs and destruction of battles and attacks done against the creatues. You get a glimpse of how big these battles must be when it happens. But you actually never really see it. That’s what i missed a little bit. A tiny bit more action would have been nice. However. The movie keeps a quiet tone and that’s something that sets it apart from other movies that feature such or similar settings. While our journalist guy isn’t pleased to have this babysitting job on his tail he soon gets why the woman actually is in mexico. Soon he learns a few background facts and understands that she is kind of fleeing of her normal life. It’s nothing there for her except cold ignorance from her fiance and her father. Now the strength of the movie comes into play. The ‘little things’ you see in a person when you’re on your way to fall in love to him or her. I think the way the movie shows how the ‘love’ is building up between our two characters is pretty cool and very well acted. Both Whitney Able and Scoot McNairy have a nice connection to each other here. It’s beautiful to watch. The contrast is the environment it all happens in. Mexico is not a very nice location in that movie. Everywhere you see things falling apart. People suffering from the quarantine and enduring attacks from and on the creatures. Our two friends try to catch the last ferry into the states but circumstances hinder them to get it. The alternative is to cross through the infected zone to the border of the USA.

The movie has a lot of scenes that leave room for your own interpretation. As a result you have lots of answers to all the unanswered questions in the movie. Especially the ending of the movie. I like the ending. It’s quick. I also have the impression that the creatures are intelligent. These aren’t just stupid animals. The creatures seem more like defending themselves instead of attacking in blind rage. At the end you have these two big creatures almost like a symbol for our two main characters. A wonderful scene. That’s when you’re really asking yourself who the real monsters are. It’s a perspective thing. In this movie i think everyone is a monster. Humans as well as creatures. Both species are just trying to find their way through life and all its twists and turns. Trying to use whatever is there to master that life and its paths.

Big respect for director Gareth Edwards. He not just did this movie but also did the VFX himself. That’s what i call dedictation! And the result is amazing. Congrats Gareth! Very impressive.

If you’re out for an action movie then this is not what you get. There are a few scary moments but not enough to really make it a horror movie either. Instead you get something for the heart and some amazing images from the really nice camera work.

I’ll give this one 7.8/10

Monsters on IMDb

Alright. Just for fun i sat down a while ago and compiled a list of Sci-Fi movies that are a great inspiration for me as an artist. This time we have quite some of my very favourites among them. On top surely is Event Horizon. Back then it blew me away. Especially its ideas and the gritty realistic look of it. The movie also has some very scary scenes in it. However… the inspiration is everywhere in this one. The Alien movies are amazing too. Again its the gritty design that really creates the love. Modern movies like Sunshine round things up nicely. A nice story, solid design and some really amazing visuals and scenes in the movie. Big love.

*Not listed by favourites.

Alien (1-3)

Not much to say about Ridley Scotts Alien. The Alien ship and the interior design… Classic. James Camerons ‘Aliens’ delivers less horror but some great action and more stunning visuals. Again concept work from Syd Mead. Again a big love! David Finchers Alien 3 sets itself apart from the other two. It’s much more quiet but goes down the horror tracks again. Love the design and feel again. Great acting work. Less is more in part 3. Part 4… well… it’s entertainment… but nothing original from my point of view.

Alien – 1979 on IMDb

Aliens – 1986 on IMDb

Alien3 – 1992 on IMDb

War Of The Worlds (Original & Spielberg)

I have always had problems to compare these two movies. I couldn’t say which one is the better movie. Both of them have their shining moments. Of course the VFX of the Spielberg movie are just amazing. But that also works for the old movie. There are quite some cool scenes in the old movie that could have never worked in the modernized version.

War Of The Worlds – 2005 on IMDb

War Of The Worlds – 1953 on IMDb

Close Encounters Of The Third Kind

This is one of the movies i could watch over and over again. I really love the characters and, of course, the whole premise. Spielberg said he couldn’t do such a movie in that particular way today anymore… and i believe him. Good he did it back then. It got some really amazing moments. Just to mention the UFO chase sequence at the beginning. Or when the little boy gets kidnapped by the aliens. That’s a very scary scene. Or when the UFOs and aliens make contact with us at the Devils Tower. Just plain epicness! Everything works so well. Richard Dreyfuss makes it all even better. I love how he plays the character. Another all time classic.

Close Encounters Of The Third Kind on IMDb

Event Horizon

Now this here is a love affair. I couldn’t even begin to explain why i love this movie so much. But yea well… certainly the whole design plays a very big role. Also the whole idea behind the story. That the ship went somewhere and came back with some sort of soul. The scientific background sounds very appealing to me. It still works scientifically! We never traveled in a way like described in the movie. Who knows what happens when we do? Where do we land? Of course it’s fiction… but still… a big love.

Event Horizon on IMDb

Worlds Collide (1951)

Another old time classic. For its release time definitely something really special! If you are into old school Sci-Fi style illustration… then this i, s a must see.

IMDB:
Worlds Collide on IMDb

Sunshine

This movie doesn’t have a lot of fans somehow and i don’t know really why. The VFX are great… the story really exciting… and the whole presentation is just eyecatching. Besides, the acting of all the cast is very believable, solid and good. And dear god… the finale… with that music part… goose bumps all over me every time i see it. I saw it in the theater and i’m glad i did. I love this movie.

Sunshine on IMDb

End of part 3. This part contains some of my all al alltime favourites. Some movies will influence me in every project. More stuff in a few days. =)

Regards

I’m glad i catched this one while it still was in theaters. And i loved it. I watched it in 3d. This was the first time i watched an animated movie in 3d. It was cool. The only other one was Avatar. Was cool too. Nonetheless i had the feeling that the animated movies score a bit better when it comes to the 3d effect. However. I liked it!

Storywise it’s about ‘Gru’. A wannabe evil genius. Always planning the next big coup. Only this time someone got it first. And Gru hast to work out a counterplan. And the plan is to steal the moon! To do so he needs a ‘shrink gun’ which just got invented by some evil nation (my guess is koreans). To make the moon the size of a baseball. Otherwise it’s far too big, right? Now when Gru is about to steal the gun his counterpart evil genius gets it before him. Now Gru has to work out a plan to steal it back. Now three little orphan girls come into play. They wanted to sell Gru some cookies and he later saw how his enemy bought them and let the girls into his headquarter. While everyone else who tries gets really badly hurt. Now Gru’s plan is of course to adopt these girls to infiltrate his enemy’s base. To get back the gun. This is the point when it all begins to develop some heart moments and some hard laughs. These girls are so damn cute.

The Minions. Well. These guys are hilarious. They contribute a lot of funny and hearty moments to the movie. You really learn to love these guys. They kept a good balance though. Sometimes such sidekick characters can steal the show from the main characters. Not so here. I like that. The Minions represent all the little things that sort of make us human. All the little flaws. All the little childish things. Wonderful characters.

Technically there is not much to complain. The overall look is not overly detailed and that fits the overall movie well. Except for a few moments it does not reach the Pixar level. There is one crack under the window of Gru’s rocket car mobile where i saw some pixelation. I don’t think that was intended. And if so… well… i would have removed it. But that’s all.

So yeah. It’s surely listed on top of the animated movies this year. Right there with ‘How To Train A Dragon’. And no… i’m not a Toy Story fan.

Go see it! Or wait for the Bluray. It’s definitely getting my recommendation.

8.0/10

Despicable Me on IMDb

Alright. Just for fun i sat down a while ago and compiled a list of Sci-Fi movies that are a great inspiration for me as an artist. By inspiration i don’t always mean the whole visual style of a movie but also the atmosphere and the ideas behind the story. ‘The Day The Earth Stood Still’ is a good example. It may be an old movie but still widens the horizon with its ideas. This is part two of the list.

*Not listed by favourites.

Moon 44

One of Roland Emmerich’s early big budget films. At least back then. And certainly not a very good one. Except for the look and design. That’s what i like that movie for. Its dark gritty and industrial look. It also has some nice characters. Some real bad asses. I like to watch it every once in a while.

Moon 44 on IMDb

Total Recall

One of THE Arnold Schwarzenegger movies. And certainly one of THE Mars movies you should have seen. A very clever story, inspired by a short story from Philip K. Dick. Even though the original short story reads quite differently than the movie. The movie of course scores with some very great action pieces and great design. Even if the marsian landscapes were mostly miniatures i still love the camera flights right above and through the canyons. Like i read there is a new ‘Total Recall’ in the makes. This time closer to the original short story. It will be a very different movie. Surely as cool and interesting as the Schwarzenegger one. But less action.

Total Recall on IMDb

Startrek (All Movies)

If i would have to pick favourites then i would say the very first Startrek movie is a must watch. Again there were visual concepts from Syd Mead. ‘The Wrath Of Khan’ is probably the best Statrek movie of all times. Startrek 6 ranks pretty high too. I really love its cold war references and its very clever story. The newest addition and reboot of the series offers some amazing visuals too. All of them can deliver some nice inspiration. Of course the series had some weak movies too. Especially Startrek 5. But the painting work at the beginning looks nice in this one. Later when the digital age kicked in we got to see some nice battles. Startrek 8 starts with one nice fight against the Borg. So yes, visually i would suggest to have seen all of them.

Avatar

You’ve probably seen it. Inspiration wise it’s a must watch. The industry’s best concept guys worked on it. Visually it can’t get any better than this. At least not any time soon.

Avatar on IMDb

The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951)

I admit it’s quite an oldie but its message is still relevant. It’s also funny because of the ideas they had back then. The VFX redefined quite a few things back then and did set new standards. The message basically is that we should keep an eye on what we as mankind do. How dangerous we as a species can be to not only ourselfes.

The Day The Earth Stood Still on IMDb

End of part 2. I think when you have seen and studied these movie you have all the basics you need. More stuff in a few days. The list is still filled. =)

Regards

Alright. Just for fun i sat down a while ago and compiled a list of Sci-Fi movies that are a great inspiration for me as an artist. By inspiration i don’t always mean the whole visual style of a movie but also the atmosphere and the ideas behind the story. ‘Children Of Men’ is a good example for a very amazing atmosphere and story. The visuals there are amazing too but aren’t the main drive in the movie. This list is not listed by first = best and last = worst movie. It’s just a list of movies that you should have seen if you want to do Sci-Fi based art nowadays. I’m a big big movies fan and a very visual person. So it’s a natural thing for me catching up ideas and influences, more or less intentional, from movies. So yeah…if you’re on the search for movies for a nice evening… then i hope this list will help you pick a few candidates that you haven’t seen so far. Feel free to post your thoughts on the movies!

*Not listed by favourites.

Blade Runner

What can i say about this one. It ranks in the definite top ten of my all time fav movies. The whole design and visual quality still works amazing and will still be working in 100 years. Ridley Scott is a true master to me. I even read the books that bring the story to an end The visuals from the movie made the scenes described in the books so dense. I really enjoy that universe. Even if i wouldn’t want to live in that world.

Blade Runner on IMDb

Outlander

Oh what can i say about this one. Most of you probably don’t know it. To me it’s a pretty unique one. Generally it’s quite a cool mix of fantasy and scifi elements. It got quite a cool style going in it. The VFX aren’t always top but the ideas in it are kind of cool. And i like Jim Caviezel as an actor. I should watch it again some time soon.

Outlander on IMDb

2001 & 2010

Granted… 2001 is a pretty boring movie. Nonetheless i decided to put it into the list since its visuals and camera work are still high end and a good guide for anyone who is attempting such movie projects. 2010 on the other hand has more action and a particular cool design. Syd Mead hits my taste with pretty much everything he does when it comes to concept work for movies.

2001 on IMDb

2010 on IMDb

TRON

I said it so often in the past and i will say it again now… i want an honor VFX oscar for this movie! Back then they denied the VFX nomination with the argument that they did it all with computers and that’s ‘cheating!’. Now today you cannot even fathom how important TRON was back then. And beside that there aren’t that many scenes in the movie where computers were involved. A lot of things were done by hand in very very tedious procedures. Of course the overall design, again with the help of Syd Mead, helped to make it look so crazy unique. And it got Jeff Bridges in top shape and Bruce Boxleitner. I love both of them in there.

TRON on IMDb

Starwars (All 6)

Of course parts 4-6 are the better ones. Nonetheless i would always recommend to watch the new episodes too. You ask why? Well… the design and look. These movies are so good sources of inspiration. If you want the heart then go for the parts 4-6. If you want some hi-end scifi/fantasy inspiration… go for parts 1-3. To me personally the city of Coruscant is a big source of inspiration and ideas. As some of you know i’m a big megacities fan and love to create these too. And i can tell you that it’s a massive piece of work to get something like that together. The Coruscant from episode 2 and 3 looks just amazing and always serves as a fantastic reference whenever i try to create something sci-fi city like.

Alright… end of part 1. I think when you have seen and studied these movie you have all the basics you need. More stuff in a few days. I have quite some movies left. =)

Regards

This movie rocks! The box office doesn’t seem to be a friend of the movie and it’s crazy why that is. This is probably the first movie for a generation of people that is now between 25 and 35. The people who grew up with the old Nintendo consoles. The super marios. The Zeldas. There are so many references in the movie that it makes it hard to spot them all. Often you hear a sound and think ‘damn where did that come from… i KNOW it from somewhere!’. Awesome sound work here.

I guess what keeps a lot of people away from it is the presentation. And parts of me can understand it. It really is a bight, shiny and colorful movie. But it mysteriously works in this one. Edgar Wright managed it to get an amazing visual flow into the movie. And i can imagine that this was not an easy task. The choreography of the fight scenes is intense and really rocks AND is FUN. A lot of moves remind me on the Street Fighter games. I played the crap out of Street Fighter 2 back then. Of course, in a movie filled with references, there are also a lot of things going on in the background. I guess you can watch that movie 10 times and still see new hints and references. It’s so packed!

The opening sequence shows the Universal logo made up in 8 bit pixel graphics and really old school 8 bit music. It immediately sets the tone perfectly right. That, of course, brings a big smile onto the face of every geek. Of course it all feels and looks like a comic. I never read it but as far as i know they stayed extremely close to it. The actors, all of them, work so good in the movie. They really cared to get the right people and it paid off. Every character represents an own picture and none of them is boring. All of them have their funny moments and pretty much all of them can create a connection to the audience. That’s at least my experience. The basic story itself isn’t a new one. The presentation is! I really liked how our main guy has to fight all those evil ex boyfriends. A nice symbol for the fights and battles we often have to lead when it comes to ‘love’ stuff. Our character also learns his lesson at the end of the movie. I guess all characters in this movie learn a lesson throughout its storyline. I dig that.

The VFX are really good and embed so good into the live action. A lot of unique sights to see in this movie. And even if it’s transported into a real world environment it still looks very comic’ish. Without to lose its charme! That’s an accomplishment i think.

If i had to pick one down side of the movie then i would pick it’s loudness. In accoustic and visual. In some of the fight sequences we get bombarded with pictures and colors and effects and sounds and music… to me it sometimes felt a liiiiiiittle bit too much. But that’s nitpicking. Seriously.

Ultimately i would recommend this movie to EVERYONE who grew up between 1975 and 1998. Everyone who loves the old Nintendo/Playstation/Sega/Atari consoles and its games. Everyone who loves comics. Everyone who grew in that media environment.

8.0/10

Scott Pilgrim Vs The World on IMDb

This is a movie that earned itself a special place in my heart. It’s weird since it’s not even a particularly special or in any sense very good movie. But it’s a very funny movie that tells us a lot about how people react to unusual things. May it be people or their behaviour. In a weird way the movie surely earned itself a little bit of a classic status. At least for me. It’s a must watch if you want to have a fun time with a nice flick.

The movie basically tells the story of some fellow neighbours living together in a street in some suburban town. All these people/characters are special in their own ways. You have the ex-military guy. You have the guy who just wants to live his life. Or the guy who is overly suspicious. To their uncomfort some weird neighbours moved into a house next to them in the street. For a while everyone wondered what happened to the previous house owners. Everyone is getting a bit suspicious since they never really get to see their new neighbours. They tend to keep to themselves. And all the weird things happening in and around their house add a lot to that. They very rarely leave the house. They keep to themselfes. Do weird things at night. Soon enough our neighbour comunity wants to find out what it is with these weirdos. The fun begins.

The movie stars some pretty well known people. Among them a Tom Hanks before his oscar run. A Bruce Dern in the role of the military guy. Awesome! All of them deliver a good job and seem to enjoy their freaky roles a lot.

Everything plays and happens in that street. Which surely kept the production costs pretty low. On the other hand it keeps a tight atmosphere and helps the story to really spread its humour. You don’t have to wonder where they’re now. They are always on location. No big jumps to different places. A really simple setup. When i first saw that movie i wished i could be a part of that neighbour gang. And i still do i guess. It looked like so much fun. It also shows how crazy normal people can become when someone is out of the ordinary and doesn’t fit any known role.

A nice fun movie for a relaxing evening and some laughs. I would also say it’s a good movie to watch on halloween.

7.6/10 from me.

The ‘Burbs on IMDb