Title: Movie Review: Room
Author: MJ Khan
Recovered Author: MJ Khan
Published Date: 2016-03-10
Original URL: https://geeknode.co.za/2016/03/movie-review-room
Wayback URL: https://web.archive.org/web/20170114190655id_/http://www.geeknode.co.za/2016/03/movie-review-room/
Recovery Confidence: high
Categories: Movie Reviews
Tags: brie larson, featured, Oscar Wins, review, Room, ster kinekor. room movie

- Genre Drama
- Director Lenny Abrahamson
- Producer Ed Guiney, David Gross
- Actors Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Joan Allen, Sean Bridgers, William H. Macy

- Where we got our copy Ster Kinekor Pre-Screening
- Reviewed on Cinema (2D)
- Available on Cinema (2D)

- MJ Khan

- 10 months ago

- 3 0

Synopsis in a sentence

Based on the best-selling novel by Emma Donoghue, Room is a story about a mother and son who are held hostage in small room.

Oscar-nominated dramas aren’t my usual cinema fodder (I prefer escapism, action adventures and hobbits) but I was intrigued by Room’s trailer (which may have been a little misleading as it gave off a post-apocalyptic vibe) so I raised my hand when Nitefenix asked if I wanted to review it. Read on to decide if you should watch it before the Academy Awards.

I don’t want to spend too much time discussing the plot suffice to say that unlike most hostage thrillers where the big payoff is the reunion, this movie extends the gaze to the time after the reunion. I’m glad they went with this angle because it was more compelling to see them pick up the pieces and assimilate to some modicum of normalcy.

Joy was abducted by Old Nick seven years ago and her son Jack (born in captivity, as a result of rape) had no concept of interpersonal relationships (outside of the bond he shared with his mum) or anything outside of a simulacrum he experienced by watching television. While watching it I couldn’t shake off the similarities to the Josef Fritzl case (a monster that kept his daughter in a cellar for 24 years and fathered seven children with her). I later read that the novel was inspired by the case.

One thing I want to discuss in this space is whether or not critical acclaim affects my perception of a movie. While waiting in line for popcorn I googled the movie and saw that it had a 95 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and very respectable 86 out of 100 on Metacritic (the new Star Wars got 81). Knowing this beforehand changed the way I consumed the movie (like watching a movie that was released shortly after an actor died – like the dude in Hunger Games, Heath Ledger or Paul Walker). Knowing that this movie was so rated so highly made me a little more critical, as if I had some irrational need to rebel against critics for no good – has this ever happened to you?

Enough about my self-actualisation (Maslow’s hierarchy of cinema-going), here’s what other people thought:

It’s hard to think of a movie adaptation of a book that feels truer and more loyal to its source than Room – Sophie Gilbert

A suspenseful and heartrending drama that finds perhaps the most extreme possible metaphor for how time, regret and the end of childhood can make unknowing captives of us all – Justin Chang

On their own, each segment of Room is tense and emotional. But they’re even better placed back-to-back – Noel Murray

Room was nominated for four academy awards, and while I do not put much stock into that award (except when Lord of the Rings; The Return of the King cleaned house), Brie Larson (Ma) and Jacob Tremblay (Jack) are exceptional at their craft and Larson’s Oscar win for best actress was well-deserved (hopefully this means more people will watch it this week).

I’d like to thank Ster Kinekor for inviting Geek Node to the pre-screening.

Synopsis in a sentence Based on the best-selling novel by Emma Donoghue, Room is a story about a mother and son who are held hostage in small room. Oscar-nominated dramas aren’t my usual cinema fodder (I prefer escapism, action adventures and hobbits) but I was intrigued by Room’s trailer (which may have been a little misleading as it gave off a post-apocalyptic vibe) so I raised my hand when Nitefenix asked if I wanted to review it. Read on to decide if you should watch it before the Academy Awards. I don’t want to spend too much time discussing the plot suffice to say that unlike most hostage thrillers where the big payoff is the reunion, this movie extends the gaze to the time after the reunion. I’m glad they went with this angle because it was more compelling to see them pick up the pieces and assimilate to some modicum of normalcy. Joy was abducted by Old Nick seven years ago and her son Jack (born in captivity, as a result of rape) had no concept of interpersonal relationships (outside of the bond he shared with his mum) or anything outside of a simulacrum he experienced by watching television. While watching it I couldn’t shake off the similarities to the Josef Fritzl case (a monster that kept his daughter in a cellar for 24 years and fathered seven children with her). I later read that the novel was inspired by the case. One thing I want to discuss in this space is whether or not critical acclaim affects my perception of a movie. While waiting in line for popcorn I googled the movie and saw that it had a 95 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and very respectable 86 out of 100 on Metacritic (the new Star Wars got 81). Knowing this beforehand changed the way I consumed the movie (like watching a movie that was released shortly after an actor died – like the dude in Hunger Games, Heath Ledger or Paul Walker). Knowing that this movie was so rated so highly made me a little more critical, as if I had some irrational need to rebel against critics for no good – has this ever happened to you? Enough about my self-actualisation (Maslow’s hierarchy of cinema-going), here’s what other people thought: It’s hard to think of a movie adaptation of a book that feels truer and more loyal to its source than Room - Sophie Gilbert A suspenseful and heartrending drama that finds perhaps the most extreme possible metaphor for how time, regret and the end of childhood can make unknowing captives of us all - Justin Chang On their own, each segment of Room is tense and emotional. But they’re even better placed back-to-back - Noel Murray Room was nominated for four academy awards, and while I do not put much stock into that award (except when Lord of the Rings; The Return of the King cleaned house), Brie Larson (Ma) and Jacob Tremblay (Jack) are…

Movie Review: Room

Movie Review: Room

2016-03-10

MJ Khan

Popcorn, soda and tissues

Total - 8.5

85

8.5

I recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys human interest stories - it's one of the better movies that deal with adjustment, integration and assimilation.

User Rating: Be the first one !

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Article Tags:
brie larson · featured · Oscar Wins · review · Room · ster kinekor. room movie

Article Categories:
Movie Reviews · Movies
