Branded

It seems that a lot of people are threatened by simple truths in this film. Fat people don't want to be told that their food choices are being influenced by advertising. The negative ratings come from the mirror held in front of the faces of the audience, the negativity is a reflection of the shame of being overweight or the reflection of their own brands that they are wearing and the value they put in them.

This is an original film that doesn't fit the current Hollywood blockbuster mold, but rather it requires self-examination of what influences human choices.

There are a lot of word salad reviews on this movie already, no need for another. Go in with no expectations, come out with a cleaner view of the world and start to understand why you're craving your McDonalds/Coke/Idevice.

Check it out and be pleasantly rewarded - unless your own reflection reflects something too unpleasant to accept....

Somewhere at the far edges of the absurd, the profound can be found. This movie can be enjoyed strictly as a comedy, it can be taken seriously by a few, but most should know this film reaches further than it could ever truly grasp. Branded is flawed, fun, and perhaps best enjoyed in an extremely tired, alternative state of mind.

A few reviews and reviewers note that this film does not live up to its own advertising. There is irony there, but what does live up to advertising? Advertising is amongst the biggest waist of resources in contemporary society. Not just in terms of illusory currency, but the waist of many of todays greatest artists, thinkers, and idea makers; professionals payed to spin lies and manipulate participants of mass media consumption.

Branded may only scratch the surface of many important current problems caused by modern media, but at least its creators and performers put themselves "out there" to ask some interesting questions. May more artists ask important questions, and help move us all to a better place.

This is a great little movie that has a very relevant message about what we put in and on our bodies. Hopefully it will make people more aware, but honestly I doubt the ignorant masses will watch this movie.

Judging from the low ratings on IMDb, I can officially call the movie "BRANDED" highly underrated, and a must see film for anyone who wants even a glimpse of responsibility for what we put in and on our bodies that leads to so much disease, war and suffering.

A unique perspective, full of detail, a hero's journey to find substance in a world gone mad.

Great imagery, dystopian atmosphere and what the world is like that most walk through simply unaware, and not wanting to care.

The movie gives a clear message about current marketing standards. It is one of those must watch movies that speak about the society in general, things happening around people about which they are unaware of.

I would rate this movie more, but it was pretty slow and gets uninteresting in the middle. But by the end of it, you have something to think about and relate to the stuff happening around you. As for the movie itself, it is one of those "Dark" movies where you find yourself losing the appeal for the movie as it continues. But surely, characters have been sensibly selected and over all dialogue delivery is good too. However, it lacks witty dialogues which I was looking forward too seeing the trailers.

I wanted to like this film more than I did. I admire its ambition, and I like the way it sets out to satirize the advertising industry and its effect on us. Unfortunately, it seems that the filmmakers had problems shaping their material into an elegant, effective film.

"Branded" is entertaining throughout -- and sporadically brilliant! -- but most viewers will probably feel, as I did, that this movie is wildly uneven. The tone of the film shifts in bizarre and disorienting ways; important plot-points are barely touched-upon; great chunks of time are skipped, often revealing that our main characters have changed in ways that are so profound that it seems some kind of further explanation is required; some very clunky narration attempts to tie everything together.

The problems lie mostly with the script, which can't seem to decide how seriously to take itself. In the film's earlier scenes, as the forces of evil begin shaping their bozo nightmare, the film often projects a winking, campy sort of vibe. Later, the film is solemn and reflective. Then, it's an angry political screed. Each of these pieces, individually, has its merits -- but they sit at odd angles to each other. Combine this with the film's fractured and episodic method of storytelling, and you end up with a film that plays like patchwork. It's entertaining, but I think there's a lot of unintended dissonance created by the film's cavalier approach.

The acting is actually pretty good; these actors were given some tough material to work with, given the script's shifty nature. All the actors do their best to provide their characters with strong through-lines, and they mostly succeed. That is to say that, even though the script and the tone are all over the place, the actors do a good job of providing solid and centered performances. I was frankly surprised that the acting worked as well as it did in this film.

The cinematography and effects are also worth a mention. The camera-work is top-notch, and the CGI "monsters" which appear in the film's final third are rather clever creations.

Overall, I got the impression that this was a wildly ambitious project undertaken by a crew that wasn't quite up to the task. And yet, they succeeded in creating a great-looking film of ramshackle construction. It entertains and provokes some thought, and there is a great sense of enthusiasm in the production.