TeddyBlass wrote:Do let us know what you think of it when you're done watching. I personally am baffled at the lack of respect this film gets. One of my favorite Nolan films.

It is indeed a great film (far better than the original). As for why Insomnia gets the least amount of respect, well, if you look at the rating on Rotten Tomatoes it was the highest rated Nolan film before TDK rolled along. What baffles me is why The Prestige doesn't get any respect.

filmfanatic wrote:

TeddyBlass wrote:Do let us know what you think of it when you're done watching. I personally am baffled at the lack of respect this film gets. One of my favorite Nolan films.

It is indeed a great film (far better than the original). As for why Insomnia gets the least amount of respect, well, if you look at the rating on Rotten Tomatoes it was the highest rated Nolan film before TDK rolled along. What baffles me is why The Prestige doesn't get any respect.

I think the most common complaint on Prestige is that both lead characters are not particularly likable. Both of them are so obsessed in their craft that they are more about annihilating the other not to mention that they are also particularly self-destructive. I don't think that's a negative for the film as I think the film shows what that sort of path leads to in the end game.

Insomnia for me is a really, really good movie and I enjoyed it thoroughly. That being said, I don't enjoy doing a ranking of Nolan films because it makes the lowest ranked film seem like a bad movie when all of them have been really good ones.

niniendowarrior wrote:

filmfanatic wrote:

TeddyBlass wrote:Do let us know what you think of it when you're done watching. I personally am baffled at the lack of respect this film gets. One of my favorite Nolan films.

It is indeed a great film (far better than the original). As for why Insomnia gets the least amount of respect, well, if you look at the rating on Rotten Tomatoes it was the highest rated Nolan film before TDK rolled along. What baffles me is why The Prestige doesn't get any respect.

I think the most common complaint on Prestige is that both lead characters are not particularly likable. Both of them are so obsessed in their craft that they are more about annihilating the other not to mention that they are also particularly self-destructive. I don't think that's a negative for the film as I think the film shows what that sort of path leads to in the end game.

Insomnia for me is a really, really good movie and I enjoyed it thoroughly. That being said, I don't enjoy doing a ranking of Nolan films because it makes the lowest ranked film seem like a bad movie when all of them have been really good ones.

The Prestige basically demands a repeat viewing.
It's hard to be sympathetic to Borden unless you know that he is actually two different people.

George89 wrote:

niniendowarrior wrote: I think the most common complaint on Prestige is that both lead characters are not particularly likable. Both of them are so obsessed in their craft that they are more about annihilating the other not to mention that they are also particularly self-destructive. I don't think that's a negative for the film as I think the film shows what that sort of path leads to in the end game.

Insomnia for me is a really, really good movie and I enjoyed it thoroughly. That being said, I don't enjoy doing a ranking of Nolan films because it makes the lowest ranked film seem like a bad movie when all of them have been really good ones.

The Prestige basically demands a repeat viewing.
It's hard to be sympathetic to Borden unless you know that he is actually two different people.

I agree. Prestige basically screams for repeat viewings, unfortunately, movie critics do not get that when they are writing their column.

Your reasons for why Insomnia is Nolan's least respected film are pretty much exactly what I've felt about the movie.

It's really the only Nolan movie that I like, but don't love. Although I think it's an example of a rare good remake and it boasts one of Al Pacino's finest performances in his expansive career. It's also very interesting to see Robin Williams in a villanous role.

But the reason it's easily his weakest film is because Nolan had no part in writing the film. All of Nolan's films, except Insomnia, have had his hand in writing and is why I believe they turned out great. Nolan doesn't really get recognized for his writing talents but Insomnia shows just how crucial they are to his movies. If Nolan had had a part in writing the film then I'm assured that it would today be ranked amongst his other great works.

filmfanatic wrote:What baffles me is why The Prestige doesn't get any respect.

I too am awe-struck that The Prestige has only 75% (Is that correct?) on Rotten Tomatoes. It's one of those films I feel that many critics would appreciate greater if they watched it again, i.e. in retrospect.

I think it's like Cutter says in the film, it was too simple for people to realize the complexity. Watching it the first time, it doesn't appear all that spectacular, but on repeat viewings you realize the magnitude of Nolan's craft in the film and the layers of complexity you missed.

Well, that's what I think at least.

filmfanatic wrote:As for why Insomnia gets the least amount of respect, well, if you look at the rating on Rotten Tomatoes it was the highest rated Nolan film before TDK rolled along. What baffles me is why The Prestige doesn't get any respect.

I think The Prestige had the trailer to blame. It's far too misleading. I think general audiences were disappointed because the film itself isn't what it was made out to be. And if they only sought out that second viewing that a lot of us here believe it demands, I think people would think of it in a better light.

Maybe it's because these two films are based off other material? (although so is BB and TDK)

I recently had the chance to rewatch Insomnia and am convinced people (including myself after the initial viewing) consider it the lesser of Nolan's films (or, just merely a "good" film) because it doesn't have a nifty narrative device.

Most people probably see/saw Insomnia after viewing Memento. While Insomnia doesn't have a clever way of telling its story like Memento did, it still is a complicated tale with very interesting characters and great performances. It falls into convention a bit by ending with a shootout, but I really think its a great film.

I'm a little surprised myself how much more I like it now.

Also I think i'm going to check out the original Insomnia.

George wrote:Also I think i'm going to check out the original Insomnia.

Every Nolan fan should

If I can find a cheep copy of the original I will. But I love the Nolan version and it reminds me of the old 1970's thrillers like The Conversation, The Paralax View and The French Connection.