The Art of Dying - Die Kunst zu sterben

I have to admit that when I decided to see this movie I was completely sure it was going to be another "Scream" clone. Despite that, since it was the first Spanish horror movie that belonged to this new "horror-movie-for-teenagers" genre, I though it might be interesting to watch.

How little could I imagine that it was going to be much more intelligent and scary than any "I know what you did last summer" type of movie(It also has some flaws,though, but I'll take about them at the end). The plot seems rather similar to that of the movie I've just mentioned, but only at the beginning, because afterwards it has amazing plot twists that don't just focus on the identity of the killer. (Even though the final plot twist isn't good enough)

The way it's directed helps the movie be different too, making the movie kind of "cold" and distant. To be honest, I think the director has got inspired by films such as Crash and Gattaca to set this kind of mood.

The performances are good, specially the main two characters, even though sometimes they behave strangely. (They seem to be a bit unfocused sometimes, but maybe that's the way their characters are supposed to be)

As for the bad things, the movie gets a bit boring towards the end, not because of what happens, but because of the performances and the direction (I know, I'm contradicting myself a little bit here, since I've said all of this was good, but maybe the director should have made things go faster at the end and make the character's personalities not so monotonous.) Then, when you thing it's over, there are two more plot twists that instead of getting better and better get worse and worse, and make the ending less interesting.

Overall, "El arte the morir" is a GOOD movie BRILLIANTLY directed and with fairly good CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. And it's much more intelligent than Scream2 and "I know what you did last summer" and its sequel. I give it a 7.5 out of 10.

Directing lacks of strength, has a few flaws, might get a little boring sometimes, but this is one of the few Spanish movies I would save if the Earth were to be wiped out by an striking meteor. At first glance (you only need to have a look at the film poster) you get the impression (at least I got it) that this is going to be a very typical teenager-murder movie, as silly and void as any other. The first, say, 30 or 40 minutes (I can't remember) don't do anything to change this point of view. The murders begin, and sometimes it gets even visually silly. But then things change, and the story starts getting really weird... what the heck's going on? you might ask yourself. When the big twist, the ultimate truth, arrives, something in your head goes off and you realise the cleverness of the story.

All in all, a clever thriller, sufficiently well put together. Could've been better done, but it's not bad. An unusual movie for Spanish standards, and I applaud that.

6 out of 10

as I saw this flick in the middle of the night, that might have made it even more breathtaking, for that is what this is, breathtaking. The idea is brilliant and quite original, the idea that one can die at different levels before the final death, and that death, however terrifying, is the final liberation. But it is the idea I loved, not the film itself. Something is lost, the staging is simple and the murders are textbook. It in the end is nothing more then a successful slasher film. I wish someone would do a remake which was actually true to the idea. The only character which really works here is Ivan, a forlorn and neglected genius, slightly schizophrenic and well, charismatic. Unlike the others, who are simply uninteresting.

This movie was 1hr 42m of my life that I will never get back. It is singularly the most boring movie I have ever seen. The only suspense involved in watching this is the sensation that any time now, something is going to happen. Unfortunately, nothing ever does. The ending was wholly predictable. I can't think of a single redeeming quality for this flop of a film. It has zero substance. Every death in the film comes as expected. Watching fungus grow on the side of a dead tree in real time is more thrilling than this movie. Retirees eating soft foods give a greater sense of danger. To sum up, this movie was terrible.

This film turned out to be an entertaining way to spend a couple of hours in front of the boob tube. The film succeeds due to the entertaining ensemble cast and the great to watch acting of Fele Martinez. Man, I love this guy. He seems to make every film he's in. The films that I have seen him in I greatly enjoy. He seems to me sort of like a Spanish version of Ewan Mcgregor, maybe even better. He's very versatile and fun to watch (Lovers of the Artic Circle, Open Your Eyes, Talk To Her). For him I give the movie a 7. Without him it's a six.