Shutter Island

Title: Shutter Island
Director: Martin Scorsese
Actors: Leondardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams

This movie had a lot of hype surrounding it, at least in my neck of the woods. Lots of people were anticipating its release, reading the book, talking about the director and the actors. Then the release was delayed. I didn't really notice or care because, honestly, it didn't appeal to me. I'm not a Scorsese fan and, while DiCaprio is definitely on my legendary actors list, I haven't really liked anything he's been in for nearly a decade. I thought that the movie had come and gone through theater's without my noticing, that's how non-interested I was in it.

So, last Friday I went to the movies, desperate to get out. I didn't really know what I was going to see. I thought about going to Wolfman, despite my gut reaction that it was going to blow majorly. I asked the guy at the box office and he said to not bother because it was worse than Legion. And that's saying something. Legion had to be the worst movie I've seen in a *very* long time. Awful stuff. So, I said, "What the hell! I'll go see Shutter Island. Can't be worse than either of those two bombs."

It was better than Legion by a long shot. Of course, watching my dog trying to find a place to poo is cinematically more interesting than Legion.

But, Shutter Island had plenty of faults. It felt long to me. I know I made plenty of impatient sighs while waiting for *something* to happen. Kinda felt like running in circles. DiCaprio and Ruffalo asked questions and got the run around from the staff, making me wonder why they would even call for help if they weren't going to cooperate. I couldn't figure out the point. To make matters worse, DiCaprio kept having nightmares and hallucinations making me think he wasn't cut out for his job. I honestly didn't really feel anything for his character until the very end.

The ending is where all the good stuff was. The ending had the stellar acting, the best storytelling, and, to me, was the most beautifully filmed. Scorsese had lots of artistic shots in the film, but they didn't add anything to the story. They felt off and, dare I say, gratuitous. Artsy for artsy's sake? Pretty much. But the end... Simple and beautiful. I wish the whole movie had had that feel to it. Actually, to tell the truth, the last 20 minutes or so of the film were enough to tell the whole story. So, felt kind of wasted.

I didn't love the whole movie, but I definitely loved the ending. I'd almost say that the ending was worth the wait. Almost. Don't think I'd wade through the whole thing again, but when it comes out on DVD I might rent it and just watch the last 20 minutes or so.

All in all: I can't really recommend it, but I also can't dismiss it. Its totally up to you and whether or not you're a fan of the director, actors, or book. Just know if go to see it, you might get a little bored waiting for the goods.