Review of A Clockwork Orange (1971) by Magical W — 13 Jun 2016

As a self proclaimed movie fan I know embarrassingly little about Stanley Kubrick. I have not seen most of his movies. I will probably only eventually see about half. Thanks to Netflix, I was able to scratch a big one of my list.

A Clockwork Orange is regarded by some as his best. I was able to appreciate much of the look and feel of this movie, Malcom McDowell is really great, and even the story was compelling at times. The one thing that I couldn't get over, and it's why I struggle with many anti-hero movies, is I couldn't root for Alex.

I know that's the goal, and why many feel that Kubrick is a genius, but I'm not in his target demo. I like "good" main characters. I don't need perfect, of course. The best ones are flawed.

But not celebrated rapists and murderers. I'm not offended, or anything. It's a creative choice, and a very daring and risky one; especially back then. Like I said, I can appreciate the film making, and admire the talent and conviction to express it fully.

It just doesn't hit me the way it seems to hit "film" fans. I can't recommend this outright, but there are things I will never forget about it, for sure, and I am glad I finally watched it.