Review of Hereafter (2010) by Intrinsic V — 16 Dec 2012

This actually wasn't a bad movie. It was better than expected, but it still left something to be desired.

First, let me say I feel that Matt Damon is miscast. I would have liked someone else in his role, but I guess he does an OK job. Cecile De France, in contrast, is well-cast and does a very good job in her role.

The opening scene (tsunami) has outstanding special effects. From there, the movie splits into three separate sub-plots that somehow converge in the end. The first is that of Marie (a famous French reporter) and her near-death experience in the tsunami. The second is that of a young boy Marcus who loses his twin brother (and has an addict mother). And the third of course is George who has genuine psychic abilities.

Yes, this is a slower paced movie, but it does involve you in the story-lines. In fact the movie has an "artsy" feel to it, but it is basically a melancholy drama. If you are looking for a suspense, thriller, or action look elsewhere.

The movie's plot centers around one of mankind's oldest mysteries -- what happens beyond death? If this movie is accurate, then we enter into a peaceful, weightless, joyous spirit world where we can be contacted (and communicate through) spiritual mediums in the physical world.

Whether this is true or not, it does poke fun at some of the psychic methods (and fraud) that are so prevalent today -- i.e. cold group readings, trances, amplified frequencies. It also tries to dispel some of the arguments against an afterlife existing, explaining that so many of the experiences are too similar to be coincidence, and that an unconscious mind can't create new images.

There is also an incident in the movie where a certain almost random action by one of the characters results in saving their life (I won't explain it as it is a spoiler). That was a nice addition to the movie, as it is something that most people very rarely think about -- how a single decision or action can effect your life profoundly, even as far as saving it.

The main problem with the movie is the ending. It felt extremely contrived, and didn't really fit with the rest of the film. The ending of the movie is a result of the movie trying to tell three separate stories at one time, and never finding a great way to tie them in together. Again, as it is a spoiler, I won't go into it further. But c'mon Clint, I'm sure you could've found a better way to pull the entire ending off.

Overall it was a decent film, and was better than expected. I would have liked to see some more introspection regarding the impact that the knowledge of an afterlife would have on these people, especially Marcus and George. It touches the surface, but then brushes past into a typical Hollywood cliche ending.