Overrated

A bit overrated, but still an amazing film

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

A hugely talented but socially isolated computer operator is tasked by Management to prove the Zero Theorem: that the universe ends as nothing, rendering life meaningless. But meaning is what he already craves. The Zero Theorem completely wastes a very talented main star and cast in a film of way too many different genres, ideas and just silly choices that hardly make any actual chance. If you're expecting something bigger or just something deadly serious like 'Blade Runner' prepare to be very let down and disappointed. (3.0/10)

At the time of this review, this is my first Gilliam film. Having heard how zany 'Brazil' and 'Twelve Monkeys' were, I thought to attempt one of his flicks. So the uninitiated has now become...initiated. And honestly I didn't know what to expect. A recluse computer genius is tasked with cracking The Zero Theorem, a theory set out to prove the meaning of life. "Zero must equal 100%", a line of dialogue that is often referred to throughout the runtime of this zany sci-fi flick. Conceptualising the idea that everything is nothing, Gilliam bravely thematically questions why we live and what purpose we have in the grand scheme of things. Unfortunately though, the themes are sacrificed to make way for his trademark quirks. The flamboyant set designs, vibrant costumes and dystopian production enhances the aesthetic appeal that most Gilliam fans desire. It harks back to classic 80s sci-fi whilst implementing modernised technologies including virtual reality and mathematical equations attached to cubes within a computer simulation that amalgamate to make an impossible theorem. The program that contains the formulae was strangely hypnotising, following floating cubes in a cubic infrastructure was a rather weird experience. Reminded me of a Windows 98 screensaver. The acting was fantastic all round, particularly Waltz who's central performance deftly carries the whole film. Swinton performs a rap song by the way, that's more than enough reasoning to go out and watch this. I appreciated the subtle comedic undertone that the narrative upholds, however beneath the authentic aesthetics is a fictionalised idea that gets lost. It's muddled and unfortunately lacks clarity. The last ten minutes will leave you wondering "what the heck is going on right now?" as you admire Waltz's committed performance. Social themes of loneliness and stress, whilst are casually explored, aren't put to use to develop the characters further. The Zero Theorem certainly isn't getting a zero from me, but it's style over substance.

I have watched Terry Gilliam's Twelve Monkeys (1995) and Brazil (1980), both of which I found very visually striking and with a good, engaging story. But this newer effort by the director gave me mixed opinions. A half of me says that the film has something wrong with the pacing. As a viewer, I was impatient for the story to really pickup but never really does so to last second of the film. But another half of me says that perhaps the gradual pacing of the story has something to do with the emphasis on the main character played by Christoph Waltz, who has been living a dull, mechanical life. Maybe the film is suppose to work in way that the viewer gets to experience this feeling. Whatever the original intentions of the film are, currently, the audience seems to be divided as well on whether to place this as good or bad. It holds a 6.1 rating in IMDb (as of March 3, 2018), which is fair, a 50 % on Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer, and a score of 50 on Metacritic which indicates mixed reviews.Though the middling reception, considering Terry Gilliam's positive track record as a director, the strength of the visual aspect, the timelessness of the questions it asks, and generally the sense of ambiguity, The Zero Theorem is the looks like the kind of movie that can garner more appreciation through the years. But like the main character, Qohen, it has to prove the seemingly unprovable as of now and be able to connect and grow with its audience. A rewatch of the movie can get this started.

This movie was all about spectacular visuals. It truly is a feast for the eyes and imagination. As a software engineer I love to see how my profession is portrayed on the big screen. This interpretation is a hoot, and not completely off in a "solving puzzles is fun" kind of way, which is what draws my type to this profession. And the acting was fantastic, Tilda Swinton, Melanie Thierry, and Christoph Walz captured their roles perfectly. Matt Damon seemed to be having an off day. Lucas Hedges (Bob) was adequate. What this movie lacked, and what made it hard to stay with, was depth of characters. It seems like this movie was written just for the visual effects. The characters are just there. They had no background, no depth. No time or care was given to give us a reason why we should care about them. For example when Bainsely ends up at his door with "everything she owns in her van", it would have been interesting to see how that happened. It would give us a reason to care about her. The same goes for Bob. He is the son of Management and won't do his father's bidding but why? A backstory would have made him more compelling, especially when he got sick. And why specifically the bodyguards? A scene with Management expressing worry about his son would have given us a reason to like or dislike the bodyguards. And Management. And the ending is ambiguous at best: Is he lying on the floor of his home in a coma? Did he achieve an out-of-body experience? Is it all a dream? Did he transcend physical existence? The end is unsatisfying to say the least. I did like the touch where after the credits role we hear the other characters saying hello to him, like they have appeared on the beach with him and have been saved from whatever-really-happened. That was clever. Great fun visuals, reasonable story line, great acting, no character development, ambiguous ending.