Damian-Sawyer Reviews

Sphere (1998)

The best underwater action film!

[27 November 2002]

This is the rarest of action films - one that engages your intellect not just your senses.

On the seabed in mid-ocean a huge vessel is discovered. A team is dispatched to investigate - and what they find is beyond belief.

Admittedly there were a couple of scenes which I felt missed the intended realism of the film, and occasionally it seemed far too obvious what was going on, but the ending resolved everything beautifully.

I suspect that fans of action films will feel let down by the thought necessary to follow this film, and fans of science fiction may well feel that after the first half hour there is a lack of a traditional sci-fi element. Many people I'm sure will feel that too little is explained, but the point of the film is that it doesn't need to be - the message of the ending is strong enough that we don't need explanation.

I'd particularly recommend this film to anyone who likes psychological thrillers. I was fairly impressed by the action integrated in The Abyss, but Sphere far surpasses it in terms of plot. Most of all, if you like films that simply entertain, this is not for you. It's more about the reactions it causes in you when you follow the story. If you come away from this film unchanged, you've missed the point.

Brazil (1985)

Breathtaking! Sheer cinematic excellence.

[10/10 · 7 March 2002]

You really can't get any better than this amazing surreal fantasy - like a hyperactive 1984, Terry Gilliam's masterpiece swings effortlessly from scene to scene, often leaving the viewer behind. You may need to watch this several times just to grasp the storyline the whole way through, but it doesn't matter! It's a film that expresses the very essence of modern society - and that includes the struggle to keep up with what's happening!

There are elements of Brazil's world that we can immediately identify with - especially the continuous struggle of the main character - but Gilliam's stroke of genius was to meld those elements so thoroughly with a fantasy world that it's hard to discern where one ends and the other starts. There are so many unforgettable scenes that it's astounding that they are all in one film. One of the strongest points is that, although the film employs special effects, it does not rely upon them. It's the humanity of the characters that counts - for many of them, the nastier side of humanity.

There's plenty here that could offend, and yet in some respects the ending redeems all the previous darker elements. If you like Gilliam's work, or the genres of fantasy or science fiction, you'll love this. If you prefer films that always make sense, you may not.