I just saw this movie last night and was completely blown away. Every little thing, from the color gradient to camera angles, hints at Teddy's world being a little off kilter. Just leaving the theater, I kept thinking of small things that told what was really going on; I even woke up this morning with a few more things I didn't realize. I love suspense and I love "think" movies. Anyone who loves Hitchcock will LOVE this movie.

I coudln't agree more!!  Everything you said is perfect....and welcome to the forum! :)

I hated to say I liked this movie, because to me it wasn't a likeable movie.  That being said, I loved the movie from a cinematography standpoint.  I loved how it was shot, the use of the cigarette smoke as almost another character....it was very dark both in content and the lighting of the movie.  I didn't feel it was too long, although it seemed a couple of times the movie was dragging.  At the end, everyone in the theater just sat there.  It was like they were still absorbing the ending.  Did the bandaid on his head bother anyone else?  Then at the end it was gone and there was a little mark in it's place.  Hhhmm, makes you wonder, maybe shock therapy from a previous time?As a mom, I was soooo disturbed w/ the scene at the lake.  I just can't fathom being so off your rocker to hurt your children.  To me, that scene seemed to wrap so much up for me. I almost want to watch it again, just to see what they hit you over the head with.  We did go out and buy the book...I think my hubby is hoping for more. Keep up the good work on the reviews! :)

I think I watched this movie on a bad night. I was really looking for a movie that would make me feel good in the end, but instead of watching Alice in Wonderland I listened to everyone else and went for the "good movie."That being said, I really don't know how to feel about this movie. The acting waas great, the island made me feel like I was actually there, the storylilne kept me involved; but in the ende the twist left me with more questions than it answered.Warning! Spoilers!First of all, I understand that the staff was in on everything, but what about the patients? How were they able to act this whole plot out? In fact, if Daniel's was making this whole "Rachel" up, then how are the patients (and staff) able to tell so much about her?I wish they would have spent a little more time explaining George. I find it very puzzling that for someone who is a "manic schitzophrenic" he is able to accurately describe Teddy in every way imaginable, and also play along with this whole "where is Andrew Laeddis?" thing.Am I the only one who saw Chuck's body at the bottom of the cliff or was I just hallucinating that? Wish I they would have explained what happened.Is Teddy seriously relapsing or is he faking it? They weren't very clear on that.Did they seriously let Teddy run around by himself overnight and what not? Even when Chuck wasn't there?Finally, what is really going on at that hospital? Are they really trying to help their patients, or are they really doing experiments? The final scene kind of makes you wonder (could have been intentional)End of SpoilersAgain, I think that I just watched this movie at the wrong time. I think that it's a great movie, it just didn't exactly end the way I wanted it to.

I hated the ending. The last 20 or 30 minutes were terrible, in my opinion (and those of the other three people that were with me). We were all shifting in our seats, and every single one of us (writers, in an M.F.A. program) sighed when the big reveal came.It was too easy. Too clichéd. Just...BAD. On the one hand, I want to read the book and see how bad IT is, but on the other hand, I don't even want to bother with it. Even if Hitchcock HAD done a movie like this, he would have done it better. And at least it wouldn't have been a cliché back then. LOL.So, if the guy has been on the island for 2 years already, then why would the movie start off with him COMING to the island, with his new "partner"? Did they just take him off the island, hope that he'd forget ever being there and revert to his pre-island self, and then bring him back and start their little play? No, that doesn't work for me.And it doesn't make sense that the hospital wanted to perform this elaborate fantasy play (a TERRRRIBLE line, by the way; we all scoffed at that too) to break him out of his fantasy. They CREATED it for him! He, apparently, was fine before they went to all that trouble.I just don't know what else to say. LOL. It's been too long since I watched it, and on top of actively trying to block it out, I'm just forgetting details. Maybe that's for the best.This movie doesn't deserve five stars. Or four. MAYBE three. How about 2.5? *sigh* 

I really enjoyed the film, though I admit I feel a bit foggy about the whole thing. It played out like a long hallucination; there were some elements and actions that seemed unnecessary, but perhaps were evidence of the psychosis. At this point I'm attributing those to intentional, good filmmaking, rather than poor writing/filmmaking. I'd like to watch it again.I soaked up the cinematography: the lighting choices, closeups and angles left me feeling like I was there - and sometimes looking through Teddy's eyes. The pacing was good most of the time, with a slow build to the end, though (like FerFerChapin) I felt it dragged at points, or maybe more accurately wandered, much like Teddy's wandering around the island (and as previously mentioned, I thought there were some jarring moments and unnecessary scenes - which may have been completely intentional). The surreal scenes were vivid and captivating - even in their horror.I thought that the acting was strong throughout, and though it's a bit cliche to say, the island (I'd include the storm with it) was a formidable character as well. The filmmakers created a believable and menacing world on the island, reflecting the outside world and its horrors - WWII, the Holocaust and the Red Scare - as well as the internal world of the mind.Since the ending is the hot topic, I'll bite: I could see the ending coming from a long way off, but there were so many layers of confusion, I could never be sure that I was right. However, I appreciated how the various pieces we'd been given were assembled at last, and though I agree that the idea of such a global roleplay is a bit far-fetched, I thought it made for an interesting story. My impression from reading others' comments is that this film tests our willing suspension of disbelief, and where our individual lines in the sand are in regard to that.For all the film's potential flaws, the last scene was the tipping point that caused me to come out in its favor. I was captured by the conversation between Andrew and Dr. Sheehan on the steps of the hospital, and how it set up the last puzzle of the film, leaving us to deduce whether Andrew was lucid in the end. I walked out savoring the experience.Random Notes:Red, I usually am quite sensitive to the score, but didn't notice it in this film... interesting. And, I actually missed the very beginning of the film (I HATE that) - I came in as they were approaching the island's dock.Yes, FerFerChapin, the bandage on Ted/Andrew's head bothered me, too - I kept waiting for an explanation (thought maybe I'd missed it in the beginning), but I think it was meant to be a clue that all was not as it seemed. I doubt electroshock, but perhaps the fight with Noyce?Another random thing that bothered me - when they went into the hospital to meet Doctor Cawley, they didn't take their hats off - what would have been the custom in the early 1950s?Animal - I stopped wondering about the body when he got down there and it was gone. I decided either it had washed away, or he was hallucinating (remember he had been hallucinating quite a bit previous to this point). By the time Cawley tells him he had no partner, I wasn't worrying about the "body" at all...

I also saw the body at the bottom of the cliff, so did my friend. They show it so quickly that you barely have time to register it in your mind.(this is in respone to someone else's post; I didn't click on the right thing to reply)

When I saw the preview for this movie, I said to myself, "Dang, I hope it's not one of THOSE movies..."As I sat entranced in the theater, I kept hoping against hope that it would double-twist, that the whole point was to make us think the twist was this way, but that it was all part of the conspiracy.I must say, I left the theater in awe of the wonderful moviemaking, but a little non-plussed at what the director obviously thought was a clever twist, but which is - in actuality - a big cliche.As I walked out of the theater, I mentioned to my wife, "Yeah, it was good, but it was 'The Others' or "Angel Heart' or 'A Beautiful Mind' all over again."It's a shame, too, it's really a great movie...even the "twist" is well done; it's just not a surprise to anyone who has seen it before.-AJF

Hmm, I'm surprised nobody has given the movie more of a critical eye. It was quite compelling I must admit. The island looked fantastic and the acting was very good. However I feel the script lacked in places and the dream sequences were not quite working. At one point me and my friends actually burst out laughing when the little girl said "I'm dead".The music was also strangely distracting, from the Darth Vader style dun-dun-dun notes on their arrival to the island to the piece of classical music playing while the Nazi Officer bled to death. I understand what they were going for in that latter scene but felt that a better piece could have been chosen. Whether it was specifically written in the book I don't know, I haven't read it.As for the ending, I think it boring that it left us with everything answered. He was clearly just ... mad. The fact that he lies to Ruffalo in order to receive the lobotomy (and therefore presumably allow him some relief from the horrors of his memories) saves the ending. But wouldn't it have been much better to leave us wondering whether or not he IS really mad, or whether perhaps they HAD succeeded in simply driving him insane to the point where he believes their story?4.5/10