Jonathan Glazer's (Sexy Beast, Birth) first film in almost a decade is easily his best work to date, an utterly entrancing minimalist sci-fi following an alien (Scarlett Johansson) as she attempts to acclimate to life in Scotland while preying on horny local men. What the movie does better than anything else is point out how bizarre the human experience would be to an outsider: lingering shots of crowds of people shuffling around a town center provoke an uneasy feeling, and that's without even mentioning the scenes in which Johansson's character lures men back to her home to devour them in a pool of viscous black liquid. Glazer utilises surreal imagery to convey the mechanics of this process, evoking an undeniably Kubrickian vibe, which while "cold" and emotionally detached, is also appropriately eerie and disturbing. One particular scene, in which a baby is left abandoned and screaming on a beach, is one of the most haunting movie images in years and years. Visually gorgeous and certainly more than just "the film where Scarlet Johansson finally gets naked", Under the Skin is masterful sci-fi even if it requires a patient mindset and the ability for audiences to draw their own conclusions.
Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes).
General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.
