Improvised

The user ratings for this movie are a full spam job. The movie is complete horse sh!at.

Reading reviews I get the impression this movie summons something like a social media debate where a group hears one name and another group hears a completely different name, or the two see two completely different dress colors. Those who hate the movie can't understand why anyone would like it, and those impacted feel the negative reviewers watched an entirely different movie. As I fall in the latter group, I would like to respectfully inform the detractors that there is a truly disturbing element to this movie for some of us and it's hard not to be impressed when it hits you. So much so that you're willing to overlook the plot holes. And while those plot blunders do ruin the last 10-15 min of this movie, it's hard to ignore the emotional *affect* of the entire film's pace and acting. Either way, just know that you might hear "Laurel" or "Yanny" when you watch this movie. One is good while the other apparently **** ¯_(ツ)_/¯

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

First of all, I'm always amazed at the number of 10 and 0 reviews. People really need to stop and think about what a 10 and what a 0 implies. Whatever, just my two cents on user reviews. ---- As for the movie, I felt like giving it a 4, but that's mostly because my expectations were let down. I'm not sure what the recent love affair with Kathryn Bigelow is all about? ZDT is far from extraordinary. Everything about this movie (script, acting, direction, cinematography--everything) is smart, faultless, and safe. As such, it's hard to say anything bad about the film, yet, that's exactly why it fails to stand out. It evokes no emotion and little controversy over such a controversial topic--it's moot art. ...now I'll go read the reviews to see why I'm wrong.

As is the case with all substantial art, this film's acceptance deviates from the mean--evident by the number of 0/1s and 9/10s on this page. I came into this film with absolutely no expectations. I had not heard nor read one word about it. My dad (father!) left it at my house and I figured I would throw it in the DVD player one Sunday evening after reading the Netflix synopsis. Yes, I did see that it had Brad Pitt and Sean Penn in it, but that meant nothing to me, one way or the other. I'm afraid to say, for fear of sounding like any other cliche art critic, that what I saw was nothing short of astonishing. ToL is an existential masterpiece. I'm not sure how anyone can rate this move a 0 or 1 even if it was the most "boring" thing they ever had to sit through. It's as if they went into this movie with expectations that were not fulfilled and have therefore taken it personally. I can understand how this movie might not resonate with everyone, but does it really warrant a 0--as if to say it has no value whatsoever? It seems as if some of these reviews feel the need to overcompensate for reasons that have nothing to do film itself. I'm sorry if someone or some review duped you into this one and you didn't think it was worth your $10, but don't take it all out on the film. I'm pretty sure anyone can honestly find reason enough to give it at least a 3. It's not Troll 2 for crying out loud.