Am I Missing Something?

A lot of fun.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

When I first started writing this comment it was full of spoilers and consisted of me writing its faults which run throughout the entire film but I'm going to save you that and just make my point. OK yes these people are linked by this bull fair enough but each character in the film isn't properly explained and their stories are utterly ridiculous so that you are left asking why did they do what they did? Why am I watching this? The film often raises a point for a character but then refuses to resolve it and there are a large number of scenes that serve no purpose. So why did I give it 2 stars rather than 1? Everyone now and then it managed to achieve extremely poignant moments and I'm sure its these combined with the fly on the wall look into peoples lives that has lead some to love it but I can't believe these characters, they seem poor fabrications that have little reason for existence in the first place.

Formally and in terms of subject matter this movie is a really fine piece of cinema. The music is perfect and its direction and editing have moments of true brilliance. This film explores the events that surround the death of a bull. This film is inspired by the forms and the spiritual intent of ancient myth. The film begins with a bullfighter getting gored in the arena as he kills his first bull. The bull is then processed and divided into its respective products. As the these parts move out into the world they "affect" the lives of the film's characters. The struggles of each individual character seem resonant with the struggle between the bull and his bullfighter. Each story takes on the feel of a fatal dance.This film is not an attempt to describe the world as it is but rather it is the telling of a story that appeals to our mystical notions of the world. It is a retelling of an ancient myth of replenishment as it relates to modern symbols of grace. Our relationship with the animal master is intact and a covenant still exists between man and beast. It is an understanding that the bull will die and be consumed and that we will kill and reclaim him. It is a pact to participate in the business of life and recognize the inexhaustible source from which all life comes, to which all life goes. This is a great film but modern film goers may need some help with its reference.

For those that enjoy films that give us glimpses into people's lives and let us be passersby to their experiences, then Carnage is an absorbing feature. Liking this film doesn't make one snooty at all, some of us just don't always require direct plot nor overwhelmingly "beautiful" people to be entertained. Like the brilliant 2001 film Bug, it connects different people to one incident, and how their lives interconnect even if they don't realize it's happened.In this case, it's the death of a bull after a bullfight. The bull is butchered and the different parts go out to people in different European countries. That part is really incidental, as the main concern is how these folks' lives interconnect and lives are lost, saved, secrets revealed, and friendships made. I confess I was slightly confused by some of the conversations and revelations, but that did not wreck the experience for me, it just meant I had to go back and view it again at some point to absorb the story better.The actors in Carnage were quite refreshing to see, they seemed like real people instead of pristine mega-stars. I must disagree strongly with a reviewer here who kept insisting, for instance, that the naked people in the primal scream therapy scenes were all fat and not ones you'd want to see naked. Take a closer look at that scene, buddy. Different shapes and sizes. Look around you and you'll see 99% of people are not beautiful models, and to just have naked beautiful models in the pool would have made the entire scene unbelievable. These were intended to be REAL people, and frankly it's real people that I find to be more attractive instead of fit, shaved "hotties!" Beauty is in the eye of the beholder...I'm sure there are plenty who found the folks in the pool just fine -- Clovis Cornilla as Alexis and 'Mr. Beard' seemed quite masculine indeed, and the women were beautiful each in their own way. Those that criticise how these actors look should take a good look in the mirror at themselves and wake up.My only discomfort with Carnage are the scenes of the bullfighting. I abhor any abuse of animals, and seeing the poor bulls being slowly killed to the delight of a crowd upset me. I don't know for certain if the bullfighting scenes were real in the manner that the bulls were actually harmed, but I have to understand the fact that this was considered a sport in Spain and I try to focus on the stories of the characters' lives.It's quite alright if you don't find this film interesting enough. I agree it's an acquired taste. But hey, if there weren't all kinds of different films out there this world would be a boring place, and I enjoyed the lives I got to know in the realm of Carnage. It was an unsettling and beautiful place all at once in my eyes...

"Carnage" is a foreign contribution to the many recent films which explore the lives of people with some interconnectedness. In "It's the Rage" the common denominator was the hand gun. In "Magnolia", it was a game show. In "Five Senses", it was a human sense. In "Carnage", it's part of a bull. Killed in a bullfight, a 1000 pound beast makes it's way to a rendering plant where it's dissected. A handful of characters in the film eventually acquire part of the bull while we voyeuristically watch their plebeian lives as they trudge from day to day and, we're supposed to believe, are affected by the bull. Well, this flick is just so much bull and, in spite of some positive critical commentary, just doesn't work. The film is a solid production which bombs on it's ridiculous story making for a slick but boring watch which seems to be building but in the end just fizzles. With subtitles and a 2 hour duration, "Carnage" isn't worth the time or effort. (C+)