CelluloidDog

In retrospect, of course it is easy to say this film remarkably resembles the recent COVID-19 epidemic (you might even see at the end, the storage of virus/vaccine: SAR, N1N1, MEV-1). Remarkable aspects included the first victim (bats and pigs), contact tracing, quarantine, panic portrayal of everything off the shelves, overfilled hospitals and mass graves, the use of stadiums as vaccine sites, the strength of anti-vaccine resistance, the process of science and vaccination, etc. Definitely worth watching and comparing the COVID-19 pandemic and comparing the two. Well-conceived and directed by Steven Soderbergh using Ian Lipkin as the medical consultant. By the way Lipkin is at Columbia University and identified the West Nile virus as cause of the encephalitis epidemic in 1999, identified 400 viruses, and assisted in the 2003 SARS outbreak.

Someone actually made this movie with Brian Dennehy, son of the last John Wayne, the Emperor and conqueror of Hollywood. Well, kinda. Dennehy plays Kublai Khan in a similar role as John Wayne portrayed Ghenghis Khan in The Conqueror. Maybe their worst role each. The Conqueror pulled off an IMDB rating of 3.7 which is about where this film is but the shocking part is why is this Marco Polo rated 5.9. Perhaps it was fear of being executed by the Great Dennehy. Acting, directing, script is standard B TV fare. I think it is Desiree Sihaan, a minor starlet is the reason Marco Polo comes back with a higher rating. Just kidding. It's just an awkward production oddly directed by a Kevin Connor whose remaining resume has 5 Christmas movies and nine of them named Home Alone or Elf. So this film has a weak pedigree. Can be skipped.

If you listen or actually figure out one thing that kills the movie for me is...the incessant soundtrack. Just listen carefully and you realize it plays almost straight through the 3 hrs. So it's 10 minutes straight of music during dialogue or action and then it stops for 30 seconds before continuing for another 10-15 minutes, It is probably an attempt at quantum music imitidating the physical concepts of the film but it gets annoying. Some like it but it's not a grand soundtrack and at times buries the dialogue that might actually mean something. Like if Einstein says something, does it need music? Besides the film is overlong, skips scenes like a scratched record, and difficult to following choppy continuity. Like Scott's Napoleon, it is a bizarre look at an historical figure complete with nudity and sex in front of the other scientists and military figures (Oppenheimer's fantasy) which dont' really add much except making a bizarre statement. Acting is quite solid, costumes and cinematography is good...but this is typical Nolan who fell in love with his choppy out-of-sequence style. Since Memento, he gravitates to this style which helps some of his films but doesn't add to others. Sort of like Fellini falling in love with his own style of directing which limits his effectiveness when dealing with subjects that don't need it. Nolan, IMO, was at his best when conventional as with Batman Begins or The Prestige, But this undone Time Machine isn't really appropriate to this film especially at over 3 hrs (do we need that?) and unrelenting score. For once, turn off the music and let dialogue or silence have meaning.