Climax

Love it or hate it, this film is technically astonishing and whatever it's trying to do, it's doing it very well. It's almost like they've trapped the true essence of French Extremism, set it on fire, and followed it with a steady cam.

The camera work in this is surreal and its movements, along with the actors' choreography, are surprisingly well coordinated for a "write-as-we-go" film.

Climax will make you feel a lot of things and I don't think you're going to like how most of those things feel, but that's exactly what makes Climax a very well executed horrifying experience.

Gaspar Noé's 'Climax' is labelled as a "trippy drama horror musical." Not a lot of people read "trippy drama horror musical" and think "Now that's my kind of movie!" Indeed, most people will find the movie to be quite objectionable, but that certainly doesn't mean 'Climax' is devoid of artistic merit or accomplishment.

The film is a menagerie of dance, neon lighting, long takes, and astounding camera work, propelled forward by a pulsing EDM soundtrack that fills every scene with a frenetic energy. It may best be described as Kubrick's 'Eyes Wide Shut' ceremonial gathering scenes on bath salts. If 'Climax' were a painting, it'd belong in the Modern Museum of Art.

We're not quite sure which drug one should be on to see the film, but some drug is definitely recommended.

CLIMAX or how long can you stand watching boring dancers and average at best actors pretend to be on drugs? Zero story, lots of screaming, no surprises. I'd even say this film is pretty tame (for Noé). And it's neither radical nor inventive anymore to simply turn the camera upside down or to show the end credits first. Apart from big respect for some well done one-shot moments, I'm quite disappointed.

The only good thing about this movie was the dancing. Literally, everything else about it is annoying. It's actually really boring. It has no plot and no point. The dialogue is puerile, at best, and you can't possibly empathize with the characters. If this is your first introduction to Noe, you'll likely never feel the need to watch any of his other films.

I always feel excited and a little bit anxious watching a new film by French director Gaspar Noe. His past films have have included the controversial "Irreversible" known for its unflinching and brutal portrayal of sexual violence, the mind bending and psychedelic trip that is "Enter the Void" and the erotic drama "Love" which features unsimulated sex presented in 3D. Noe is pushing the limits for not only what Is allowed to be shown in a film but also for what the film medium is capabale of. Unconventional narrative structures, mind bending visuals and camera angles you wouldn't even dream of. These are just a few things that can be found in his films.

I am happy to say that Climax may be Noe's tamest film in terms of its sex and violence. And I am very excited to say that it may also be the best film he has made yet. I feel that it's best to know as little as possible about the film before seeing it to have the best possible experience. What I will say though is that the film grips you from the start, and only tightens that grip throughout the running time. The film makes use of one location and one situation and one set of characters to put you in the moment. The excitement and exuberance that you feel during the first dance sequence which is shot entirely in one take will change and evolve throughout the film into sequences that are much more frightening and intense. Go along for the ride though because it is a unique work of filmmaking worth seeing in a cinema and if you hold on tight, you may experience something that is close to an outer body experience.