what the grim dreamer went to see today was...
...The Adjustment Bureau.
Despite the guilty part of her that wanted to see Battle: Los Angeles, she went instead to see a film based on Philip K. Dick's short story "The Adjustment Team".
Now I haven't read "The Adjustment Team", and I don't know why I began this post in third-person either, but I daresay the film was enjoyable - even more so with the presence of Emily Blunt, who, in my opinion, did a pretty good job as the only female character in a male-dominated cast. But let me get somewhere with my review before I go into that!
Having seen the trailers on television, I wasn't entirely ignorant of the concept that they explored in the film and I could see that the film was not, like Rango, selling itself based on the cast but based on the concept of a greater force influencing events in everyday life. If you haven't been paying attention, the basic idea is this: there is a group named the Adjustment Bureau who must ensure that humankind follows a "plan" which is authorised by a distant and mostly unseen character named "The Chairman". Anyone who deviates from the plan will cause a ripple effect that could prevent the point of this plan from going ahead. Though we never get to fully understand what this plan is to begin with, it's quite safe to assume that both David Norris, a potential election candidate for New York, and Elise, a promising dancer from Britain, will inherit prominent futures in their given professions, if only they remain completely apart.
And surprisingly, a number of years pass before Norris and Elise are properly united. We see a few false starts which serve to increase our sympathy for Norris, who can't escape the thought of being with Elise, whilst also feeling intrigued with the woman herself, whose frank performance stands out in comparison to the usual Hollywood bombshell. Somehow, I see why Norris has fallen in love with Elise, and somehow, I care that the two of them end up together. Despite the logic, despite the responsibility, having a great future isn't that fantastic if you can't be with the one who you love - a revelation which strikes the character of Harry, a member of the Adjustment Bureau who comes to believe that a better future isn't always the right future, and that anyone with the potential should always be given the chance. So he assists the ill-fated couple one rainy evening and grants them access to the Adjustment Bureau's walkways. Although there are several questions which arise from this action (how did he get away with this; why did no one else notice; etc.), we are glad to see the future bending to the love of Elise and Norris, whose main contribution to the grand scheme of things is the importance of improvisation.
What could have been a flimsy version fo Romeo and Juliet has now become an interesting dilemma, and also one of those uncomfortable truths which lurk in the lives of every human being. Honestly, when various members of the Adjustment Bureau impart how dangerous it is for Norris to be involved with Elise, and vice-versa, I found myself side-glancing my boyfriend with some consternation...
'Is being with you... ruining your... destiny?'
Well, I certainly hope not. I know a few people who often wear hats.
Despite the guilty part of her that wanted to see Battle: Los Angeles, she went instead to see a film based on Philip K. Dick's short story "The Adjustment Team".
Now I haven't read "The Adjustment Team", and I don't know why I began this post in third-person either, but I daresay the film was enjoyable - even more so with the presence of Emily Blunt, who, in my opinion, did a pretty good job as the only female character in a male-dominated cast. But let me get somewhere with my review before I go into that!
Having seen the trailers on television, I wasn't entirely ignorant of the concept that they explored in the film and I could see that the film was not, like Rango, selling itself based on the cast but based on the concept of a greater force influencing events in everyday life. If you haven't been paying attention, the basic idea is this: there is a group named the Adjustment Bureau who must ensure that humankind follows a "plan" which is authorised by a distant and mostly unseen character named "The Chairman". Anyone who deviates from the plan will cause a ripple effect that could prevent the point of this plan from going ahead. Though we never get to fully understand what this plan is to begin with, it's quite safe to assume that both David Norris, a potential election candidate for New York, and Elise, a promising dancer from Britain, will inherit prominent futures in their given professions, if only they remain completely apart.
And surprisingly, a number of years pass before Norris and Elise are properly united. We see a few false starts which serve to increase our sympathy for Norris, who can't escape the thought of being with Elise, whilst also feeling intrigued with the woman herself, whose frank performance stands out in comparison to the usual Hollywood bombshell. Somehow, I see why Norris has fallen in love with Elise, and somehow, I care that the two of them end up together. Despite the logic, despite the responsibility, having a great future isn't that fantastic if you can't be with the one who you love - a revelation which strikes the character of Harry, a member of the Adjustment Bureau who comes to believe that a better future isn't always the right future, and that anyone with the potential should always be given the chance. So he assists the ill-fated couple one rainy evening and grants them access to the Adjustment Bureau's walkways. Although there are several questions which arise from this action (how did he get away with this; why did no one else notice; etc.), we are glad to see the future bending to the love of Elise and Norris, whose main contribution to the grand scheme of things is the importance of improvisation.
What could have been a flimsy version fo Romeo and Juliet has now become an interesting dilemma, and also one of those uncomfortable truths which lurk in the lives of every human being. Honestly, when various members of the Adjustment Bureau impart how dangerous it is for Norris to be involved with Elise, and vice-versa, I found myself side-glancing my boyfriend with some consternation...
'Is being with you... ruining your... destiny?'
Well, I certainly hope not. I know a few people who often wear hats.