The Zero Theorem (2014)

One of my all time favorites.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

I have watched Terry Gilliam's Twelve Monkeys (1995) and Brazil (1980), both of which I found very visually striking and with a good, engaging story. But this newer effort by the director gave me mixed opinions. A half of me says that the film has something wrong with the pacing. As a viewer, I was impatient for the story to really pickup but never really does so to last second of the film. But another half of me says that perhaps the gradual pacing of the story has something to do with the emphasis on the main character played by Christoph Waltz, who has been living a dull, mechanical life. Maybe the film is suppose to work in way that the viewer gets to experience this feeling. Whatever the original intentions of the film are, currently, the audience seems to be divided as well on whether to place this as good or bad. It holds a 6.1 rating in IMDb (as of March 3, 2018), which is fair, a 50 % on Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer, and a score of 50 on Metacritic which indicates mixed reviews.Though the middling reception, considering Terry Gilliam's positive track record as a director, the strength of the visual aspect, the timelessness of the questions it asks, and generally the sense of ambiguity, The Zero Theorem is the looks like the kind of movie that can garner more appreciation through the years. But like the main character, Qohen, it has to prove the seemingly unprovable as of now and be able to connect and grow with its audience. A rewatch of the movie can get this started.

I watched it without knowing that it was shot in the city where I was born, Bucharest, just near the area where I lived in my childhood and my youth (41 Grigore Cobalcescu Street, Bucharest, Romania) and, the culmination of the absurd, near the communist horror called Carol Park Mausoleum (Carol Park, Bucharest, Romania) and inside the Romanian Athenaeum. I recognized all these places only watching the movie, then I've seen the end credits and after that I checked on IMDb. Many Romanians worked on this film, actors, and the technical team. Great job! But all the glory goes to those four main actors, Christoph Waltz, David Thewlis, Melanie Thierry and Lucas Hedges, all four very good. And to Mr. Director Terry Gilliam, of course. Matt Damon and Tilda Swinton have smaller roles but, no less charming. Very original!

This was a very good film.Christoph Waltz played his part as the lonely, territorial man with a higher level intelligence. As the film brings you sadness and as you watch this film you feel caught in the moment. As you imagine your self like his character. but this is also a tragedy, as I cried for the first time watching it. This is by far the best of Terry Gillian. Although, I showed this to my self assured 14 year old and she thought it was inappropriate. So I recommend this for an edgier crowd with maturity and sense. But it takes a few good watches of the film to understand the last twenty minutes of the film. I would watch it again but be cautious as it is not for the light heart ed.

Director Terry Gilliam brings his trademark of bizarre, supernatural imagery to the spotlight in this science-fiction thriller that tackles on complex scientific and philosophical subjects including astrophysics, psychology, existentialism, and religious ordeals while adopting a surreal visual style that sadly tower over its narrative heft. Two-time Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz plays Qohen, a socially introverted computer operator living in a world where computers dominate just about everyone's day-to-day life and copes with his problems by seeking mental help from a therapist run by artificial intelligence. While at work, Qohen is invited to a party by his supervisor Joby (played by David Flewlis) where he meets quirky prostitute Bainsley (played by Melanie Thierry). As he develops a reluctant relationship with her, Qohen is tasked by a scientist named Management (played by solve the Zero Theorem: a scientific theory of the universe ending at absolutely ending, and receives the help from no one other than young computer hacker Bob (played by Lucas Hedges), but also distraction by his lover Bainsley who uses his research for personal purposes.Bizarre is probably the most accurate word to describe this film judging by its abnormal, quirky, futuristic production design as well as its surreal imagery and nifty costume designs even the most avid sci-fi fans don't see everyday. Terry Gilliam boasts a unique taste in visual heft that is too difficult to ignore, but the narrative generated by Pat Rushin's screenplay suffers at a wide scope. Though the plot kicks off with an astonishing, if complex premise, it's not long before it is lost in a sea of convoluted story elements dealing with its surreal and scientific complex themes. Throughout the entirety, the film tries so hard to build up a strong and intriguing story that tackles compelling concepts of existentialism , astrophysics, and religion as it deals with the main character solving the meaning of life (a plot shows resemblance to a verse in the Book of Eccesiastes) and doesn't shy away from being the complicated territory, but it gradually grows uneven and widely ambiguous, and at times severely unfocused. The romance between Christoph Waltz and Melanie Thierry should have been meshed with the story but ultimately gets increasingly distracting to the plot as the film fails balance this romantic subplot to the main plot. In the end, it not only resulted in many unanswered questions but a simply messy plot. The performances by Waltz and Thierry are decent and shine some redeeming quality to the picture, but the rest is set to leave viewers in a disappointment.The Zero Theorem is a bit of a disappointing entry by Terry Gilliam and isn't granted much justice by the cast performances, though they are strong enough to gain attention. This is a film that may please some, particularly fans of Gilliam but leave others with a cold shoulder.