The Big Empty

I'm not entirely sure what this film was about. The ending is so ambiguous, that I can't tell whether I liked it or not.

I was digging the film for the first 3/4 of the movie, but somewhere in the third act, it became extremely confusing and all the good will that had built up in the wonderful character performances (Favreau, Cook, Grammer, etc) gets lost in the weird hokey-pokey that occurs. I stop caring for these interesting characters because their story is superceded by some new-age stuff that I couldn't even comprehend.

Also, there are elements of the storyline that either take too long to resolve (who's the cowboy? what's in the bag?) or just are never resolved at all (some of the characters are built up, but then just sort of disappear).

Overall, I enjoyed this film, but the ending was a mess. Maybe I'm just not understanding it, but I think they intentionally made it ambiguous. In which case, I'd say that's its biggest flaw.

I feel so guilty writing a negative review of an independent film with a plot that include alien conspiracies and Sean Bean but I feel overwhelmingly compelled to.

Being a fan of such films as Donnie Darko and Mulholland Drive I was desperate to find another film in a similar vein. Lots of symbolism and a plot that makes you think, plus interesting characters is what The Big Empty needs, then it might be a bit similar to Donnie or Mulholland.

The problem is that this film is pretentious- apparent symbolism is included just for effect- in order to look wierd and make people say 'i wonder what that represents?'. It doesn't represent or mean anything clever or interesting- I guess that means it isn't even symbolism.

And don't expect Coen Brothers-esque comedy or dialogue. 90% of this film involves seeing a slow lingering shot of a very big face as he slowly furrows his brow and prepares to state the bloody obvious. I cannot begin to describe how tedious this film is, the dialogue goes so slowly and with so little purpose that it will have you wishing that something, anything, interesting would happen.

Most of the characters have no purpose- their scenes are entirely superfluous to the narrative progression. I spent ages waiting for Sean Bean to show up and it was good to see him but he couldn't rescue this film.

There is a very, very slim chance that the below par, X-Files 'inspired' plot will interest you and there are perhaps two good jokes in the film. However, if within the first five minutes you find yourself doubting whether you can stand watching his bloody big head for the next couple of hours, just turn it off. You won't miss anything.

An independent film made on what I suspect was a very low budget. It really ought to be held up to all independent film makers as a model. It show clearly what you can do with very limited resources. That is, what you can do if you are talented and determined.

It's well written, well directed, well shot, and well edited. And it all adds up to a damned well-made movie that is also wonderfully entertaining. When it comes out on DVD, make yourself a big bowl of popcorn, pop it into your machine, then sit back and enjoy it. Remember how much fun watching real movies not made by committees used to be? Well, you can still have that kind of fun. Watch 'The Big Empty.'

I know a lot of critics have knocked this film, but we found it to be riveting from start to finish - fun, and a great black comedy. There are lots of cute scenes along the way - and an intriguing plot running throughout.

The lead guy is great as your average deadpan Joe - and the rest of the film's characters are wonderfully off the wall.

Don't expect anything to make sense or follow a logical order; if it did, it would take away from the fun.

Some have criticized the film for being low budget, and it is - but so what? Give it credit for its unique settings and vivid color.

This could be an excellent little suspense yarn with a touch of sci-fi in the brew, and in many respects it is. But (the DVD version of) the film is only 92 minutes long, and there were at least three scenes chopped down that needed to contribute important information to the continuity. Leaving them in completely would have added no more than a few minutes to an already short story, but as stripped, there are three situations left unexplained, along with a comment from Cowboy that clarifies what he is up to and defines his role.

What does a cowboy do? He rides the range in search of cattle, and when he has a herd, he delivers them to the slaughter house where they end up as hamburgers. A similar story was given many years ago in a Twilight Zone or Outer Limits show, about space aliens inviting humans to go away with them to a paradise in the sky. The humans were given a book to decipher, which the aliens claimed would reveal their ultimate intent, but the humans couldn't figure it out. Hundreds of them had already left, and more were waiting in line, before someone finally translated the title. It was a "cook book"! In other words, as in this story, the promise of a glittering future among the aliens turned out to have a darker side.

As anyone can see from the DVD version, the important three shortened scenes establish key points in the plot. They are called "Going for a ride," "Get in the room," and "Git along little doggie," the latter of which concerns a rather chilling remark by Cowboy. These three scenes should not have been truncated, because they are central to the story. The edited out parts only amount to an extra few minutes, but they add clarity to three situations that otherwise leave one wondering what was missing. Otherwise a good story.