The Zero Theorem

Frank Richardson said:Good grief, what even is this? Jesus' sake...

Honestly, it's the kind of movie that just makes you realize you need to go back and rewatch Brazil.

Terry Gilliam’s vision of the future is just gorgeous... at least when you look at the visuals. It’s totally surreal, but honestly, that feels completely justified by the world he built—you know, those targeted ads following you down the street and talking right to you, the main character living in a church that's actually set up like a home, playground signs covered in bans, hyper-personalized media, and this whole virtual reality thing...

There are so many charming little details! The casting is spot on, too, and the story really pulls at your heartstrings. Plus, those big themes about feeling alienated and how much the world tries to swallow you up? They feel uncomfortably close to where our own society is heading lately.

Just like his other movies, the setting is morbidly romantic and definitely leans toward tragedy. I did find the ending a bit rushed, though... it left me feeling kind of cold, which was a bummer because I think it needed to breathe more, or maybe just soften the blow a little.

Waltz is such a brilliant choice here. Everything involving him flows so perfectly—it’s never too much and never too little. I get why some people might not vibe with it, though, since Terry dove so much deeper into the dark side with the philosophical stuff (which I think is the most debatable part, even if the title hints at it)... but hey, if you liked Tideland, you’ll probably love this way sooner than later.

Honestly, I could see this working beautifully as an episode of Black Mirror.

Watched it.
This movie is shockingly bad, especially considering it comes from Gilliam, the guy who gave us masterpieces like 12 Monkeys, Brazil, or Fisher King.

The sheer pretentiousness here reminds me of Darren Aronofsky's Fountain.
Except with Fountain, there’s actually substance buried under the weirdness; it’s ambitious and actually hits those mystical notes effectively...😁

But with The Zero Theorem, I don't see any ambition at all... just pretension and boredom. It feels like Gilliam was just bored out of his mind and thought, "Whatever, let's just film this nonsense." 😵

edit: Around 2010, basically every film from the legendary directors started feeling like mediocre filler at best, or more often, absolute garbage like this...
😕

If there's nothing left to say or make, then what's the point? Just stop. Let the cameras go silent. Everything has been said; let it all just end... 😁
It's better than just churning out mindless crap and wasting everyone's time with trash like this. 😒

The Zero Theorem is actually a solid flick. To be honest, I watched it a few years back and the plot is a bit fuzzy now, but it’s a classic Gilliam piece through and through.

The Church of Scientology—that’s the part that really stuck with me.😁