Paradise

I think that Germany is a step ahead here in Europe, lots of European production such as the French one or the Italian one are still attached at the old way of doing cinema, such as Nouvelle vague or Neorealism, Germany during these last few years has demonstrated that has a lot to offer, Dark, Kleo, 1989 and now Paradise. It was not a perfect movie, but it was not predictable and it perfectly show how fragile human nature is and how humans way of thinking can change.

The main protagonist really did an amazing job, his character is very well written like the rest of the script. I wouldn't mind if they do a sequel to this movie. If you liked In time, you'll definitely like this one!

I really wasn't expecting something quite as good based on the putrid 6.3/10 rating on IMDb. The production, acting, premise, are all really good. The sci-fi story is very interesting though pretty linear and mostly predictable. With that said I was fully captivated throughout the entire movie and I'm one that gets antsy easily. I haven't seen any of the actors before but they all played their parts very well and were fully convincing in their parts. I would definitely watch a part 2 of this movie if one is made. The only reason I think this movie didn't get a higher review is the subtitles and the fact that it doesn't have a single A-list actor from Hollywood.

I see there are a lot of mixed reviews for this German sci-fi, from people that didn't get it to people that found it clever. Count me in the people that enjoyed this movie, and so did my wife. I thought the plot was interesting, certainly food for thought. The only thing that could have been a bit better was the acting from certain actors but overall it was all pretty decent. I didn't think the plot was complicated at all so I don't get what others didn't understand about the story. The lesson of the movie is don't do to others what you don't want others do to you. If everybody would think about that a bit more, life on earth would be so much better.

A rather dull approach to an interesting subject.

Unfortunately, neither of the characters emerge as multi-faceted human beings, they simply pop out of the script like two-dimensional caricatures, and while the cast does its best to bring these personae to life, their hard work can only go so far in carrying a piece that doesn't hold its ground.

With a few plot twists, the movie tries to gain our attention, but they appear predictable by the time we've finished watching the film.

Despite introducing us to a formidable antagonist, the CEO of the evil AEON corporation, who's capable of eliminating innocent lives for her own profits and interest, we don't get to know much about her either, and the whole characterisation falls flat. Neither does her character design present her as a grey shadowed presence, nor does it do much to make the viewer hate her.

Even the opposing fraction ADAM fighting against AEON is led by a woman with firm beliefs, but that side of the story doesn't contribute anything except bodies dropping left and right. It ultimately leaves us with a question - what really was the point of it all, if neither the negative forces leading the controversial ageist agenda had anything to speak for themselves, nor the resistance party trying to reinstate the status quo.

Although classism and ageism are the obvious themes being dealt by the movie, the social commentary in that arena also feels very thin, resulting in merely a crumbling down of the whole idea that could've created a larger than life image, but never does.

Personally, I was looking forward to this release owing to my own cravings of a good science fiction thriller, but again that ship has sailed without leaving me with much to remember in the end.

Unfortunately, Boris Kunz's feature has only resulted in a run-of-the-mill forgettable viewing experience. As much as I wanted to like this one, it didn't really hand out a significantly building up narrative, nor did it lay out worthy character developments. Its sole dark vision of a society falling apart with a classist billion-dollar company set up at the centre only brings out the obvious view of a dystopian setting, but nothing more than that.

Initially, the German film pushes a great deal to cement its foregrounding issues about the socio-economic divide between different classes of society, ageism, relationships, technological advancements overtaking emotional human ground and more.

But in the end, it reels out a dystopian concept merely on the surface, as a selling point. It lacks profundity and fails to ask the right questions.

This movie had everything to be great. The premise was good, to say the least, the beginning was exciting, the performances committed and the course chosen pointed in the direction of something really prosperous.

In addition, the ethical issues raised by a group called Adam, which violently opposes the shady methods of manipulating the life span of the poor in exchange for money , run by the AEON company, are extremely valid and provide material for a realistic reflection on a possible future that lies ahead of our time. In fact, this discussion would have been the best thing in the movie if the script had gone down this road.

But halfway through the movie the script becomes a seesaw with so many ups and downs. The story loses its breath and becomes a little lame. It improves a little with the reappearance of the terrorist core Adam, adding some action to the lukewarm script, but it falls off again with poor script choices as the film nears its climax.

When personal moral dilemmas that don't quite fit appear out of nowhere, things turn lukewarm again and the movie goes downhill again. And so it goes until the end. It's not bad and keeps the interest, but good wasted characters and an undefined script about where it wants to go, partially spoil what could have been great. In the end, it leaves a slight hook for a possible continuation.