Review of The Double (2014) by Josue R — 14 May 2014

After watching the movie and reading a couple of reviews I've come to the conclusion that the reason some people rated it negatively wasn't because the movie was bad, but simply because they didn't know what kind of movie they were getting themselves into.

If you're looking for a moronic comedy then look no further than Adam Sandler, but if you're interested in a uniquely presented film with an artistic vision of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's novel of the same name, look no further.

Ayoade took Dostoyevsky's novel, adapted the screenplay and directed his vision in a very artistic and visually pleasing way. And much in the same way that Dostoyevsky is a literary genius, Aoyade is a genius at transcending his vision unto the screen.

The movie is visually stunning, driven by its interesting characters and a great story told through a minimalistic medium without coming off as pretentious. The whole thing is enhanced through Eisenberg's performance, which is just as flawless as his roles on The Social Network and Adventureland.

This is no Hollywood film; it doesn't try to dumb itself down for its audience. It's presented as it is, almost as if the characters were being filmed by an invisible camera as they had normal conversations, making the comedy aspect hard to distinguish, which could make some viewers confuse its witty jokes with sheer misfortune.

With this in mind it is easy to admire Ayoade's work for the masterpiece what it is, aesthetic perfection.