Review: Side Effects (2013)
When I first saw the trailer for Side Effects, I thought it was going to be another Contagion. I didn't like Contagion, thought it was a B-movie with an A-list cast. But I do like Steven Soderbergh's work and this being his final theatrical release, I had to watch it.
I went in not expecting a lot and I walked out of that cinema a fan. It is a smart movie, a thinking movie. And it's so psychological, I had to applaud the choices this movie made. It starts off tedious but stick with it. The ending will catch you off guard.
I also like the promotion for this movie. The trailers, the posters all hint to something scary. At first, I thought it's going to be a paranormal-type, zombie epidemic thing but it turned out to be very human and oh so psychological. Think Criminal Minds. It's one thing to not expect much in terms of the quality of a movie. It's another thing to be caught unawares about what the movie is all about.
Jude Law was great in this. He was one of the reasons why I thought that this movie will be another Contagion but he was way better in this movie. And I love it when he uses his English accent. Rooney Mara was great also but I half-expected her to speak in a Swedish accent, ala Lisbeth Salander. The two roles had so much similarities. And A+ for Miss Mara for the nude scenes and keeping the nipple piercing. That was hot! Oh boy, Catherine Zeta-Jones did not age that well. Or was it makeup? Either way, I've never been a fan of her acting outside Chicago. She portrayed a smart, powerful, and educated woman here and she's good at those roles. She has a natural elegance in her. Channing Tatum though... man, I cannot stand him. There's something about him that I don't like and... let's just leave it at that.
Overall, I totally recommend this movie. Watch it with friends and you'll be talking about it for days. I don't mind watching it again (probably on TV or those dollar theaters). It has a lot of surprises and it is a movie that makes you think.
(Sorry, I can't talk about this movie in depth without giving stuff away. You really have to watch it to get it.)
