I'd read a lot of good things about Wings of Desire, so when I finally got around to buying a copy of the film expectations were high. I know it's lame, but straight away I'm going to say that my favourite film of all time is probably Nicholas Roeg's 'Walkabout'. Why would I make that point? It's really just to make clear that I'm not automatically dismissive of films that aren't event driven, or feature long periods where nothing much happens.
In some ways Wings of Desire isn't really about all that much and I'm not even going to try to explain the few things which do happen in the film. In another sense it's a film about absolutely everything and your interpretation and feelings toward the movie are going to depend largely on your own personality, what you expect from it and various other factors, including what sort of day you've had (it's very easy to space out during this movie!). The first two thirds of the movie are spent wondering what it is you're actually watching, as there's not really much in the way of dialogue (at least not much of interest). The final third of the film gives us some sort of resolve to the film, although really by this point most viewers are likely to be bored out of their mind. If I had to pick a scene which sums the movie up then it'd have to be the one where the angels are discussing what it is they lack in their existence. It seemed to go on forever and I couldn't really have cared less by the end of it, because they cite too many examples. If you think this sounds harsh, take a look through the quotes section on this movie to get an idea of what you'll be hearing throughout.
There's no doubting that this film is well filmed and visually it's very impressive. It's an unusual film too and one which immediately grabs your attention. However, despite these qualities, the 'introduction' is just far too long and drawn out. The director could easily have covered the first hour in about 15 minutes. And I know some people would argue that this is to give us a sense of what it's like to live forever and all the rest, but it's really not necessary. In movies there are ways of conveying long periods of time. Flashbacks, a montage etc. But there's really no excuse for the way this movie starts, it takes forever to get going and the ending is totally unsatisfying.
If you like your movies arty then check it out for the visuals alone, but if you like some sort of entertainment or something which is actually going to occupy your brain in some way then I'd avoid it.
In some ways Wings of Desire isn't really about all that much and I'm not even going to try to explain the few things which do happen in the film. In another sense it's a film about absolutely everything and your interpretation and feelings toward the movie are going to depend largely on your own personality, what you expect from it and various other factors, including what sort of day you've had (it's very easy to space out during this movie!). The first two thirds of the movie are spent wondering what it is you're actually watching, as there's not really much in the way of dialogue (at least not much of interest). The final third of the film gives us some sort of resolve to the film, although really by this point most viewers are likely to be bored out of their mind. If I had to pick a scene which sums the movie up then it'd have to be the one where the angels are discussing what it is they lack in their existence. It seemed to go on forever and I couldn't really have cared less by the end of it, because they cite too many examples. If you think this sounds harsh, take a look through the quotes section on this movie to get an idea of what you'll be hearing throughout.
There's no doubting that this film is well filmed and visually it's very impressive. It's an unusual film too and one which immediately grabs your attention. However, despite these qualities, the 'introduction' is just far too long and drawn out. The director could easily have covered the first hour in about 15 minutes. And I know some people would argue that this is to give us a sense of what it's like to live forever and all the rest, but it's really not necessary. In movies there are ways of conveying long periods of time. Flashbacks, a montage etc. But there's really no excuse for the way this movie starts, it takes forever to get going and the ending is totally unsatisfying.
If you like your movies arty then check it out for the visuals alone, but if you like some sort of entertainment or something which is actually going to occupy your brain in some way then I'd avoid it.