Ascension

Everything about this movie is HORRIBLE. I saw the advanced screening of "Ascension" and I was amazed at what I saw. I could not understand how a film like this could get made. Everything about it was awful. The acting was monochromatic, the scenes were atrociously edited and designed, the DIALOGUE was a wonderful effort put in by a third-grade child, the camera movements and shots were uninteresting. The film was bland and repetitive and served no purpose. The only good comments posted about this movie were made by the unimaginitive, banal director. DO ANYTHING TO AVOID SEEING THIS MOVIE, INCLUDING THE GOUGING OF YOUR OWN EYES.

I think that all the favorable comments on this site come from the director and his buddies - note the constant Tarkovsky comparisons. Don't be deceived: this film is crap, and a tragic misuse of the talents of three great actresses. The whole thing was just sickeningly repetitive and dull, I felt as though I was watching it for decades. While everything should work: Ir: talent, cinematography, score, lighting - the basic premise of this movie is so pretentious and empty that it's a waste. Spend your money on an Ingmar Bergman flick for the real thing and not some lame wannabe. This emperor has no clothes, people!

I just saw an advance screening of this film and I barely even know what to write, save for saying that I think I've just found my newest favourite movie. This is the kind of discovery that all cineastes dream of crossing paths with. It will be classified as a fantastique or possibly horror film but it is not really possible to box this film into a specific genre. It is horrific, sardonic, poetic (while often sharply satirizing the very sort of poetry that it so eloquently achieves), hypnotic, provocative, grotesque, sumptuously beautiful and haunting in its caustic irony. So, what genre does that put it in? I think we'll need to create a new one, exclusively for Ascension. In an age where most films have lost the courage to take real narrative chances, here is a work where seemingly every line of dialogue takes a new, different kind of risk, and every gamble pays off. The film's pace is unconventional but absolutely perfect(many will probably liken it to Tarkovsky). It is brilliantly constructed. Work with it and you'll find yourself deep in its trance within minutes and from that point there's no going back until the credits begin to roll and you try to put your mind back together. I love the way this film is paced. The cinematography (shot by the writer / director himself) is breathtaking. It also features one of the greatest music scores I've ever heard. I simply cannot rave enough. This might very well be the best Canadian film in years. I want to see it ten more times. Right now. Tonight. DAMN!

Normally i have no problem with mid- to slow-paced films. I commend the director who takes his time to tell a story in todays hysterical film-industry. But unfortunately you need to know what story you´re telling...

I have no idea what director Karim Hussain really wanted to say with this film. It´s a sort of post-apocalyptic drama about three women going after the one who killed god. Apparently all humans were given the ability to do miracles, and the world was thrown into chaos as everyone started abusing that power. Now three women are climbing an old factory where, on the top floor, the one who started the whole downfall of society is waiting. By killing him/her they will destroy the world and end this nightmare.

The story was fine, until the movie started... The movie is simply just an excruciatingly slow display of three women climbing metal stairs while airing nonsensical philosophical statements. All the while minimalistic industrial music grinds in the background. And absolutely nothing happens. I know that i wasn´t the only one finding this to be a test in endurance, out of perhaps 70 present in the audience about 5 people left before the film was over. To compare this to Tarkovskij (as some people have) is an abomination. This is slow, painful and quite frankly shallow. I rate this 1 out of 10.

This is one of the worst movies of all time.

Someone - probably the director - must have told the actors that if they do something slowly, it indicates thought, feelings or something... and the actors must then have though "good idea". They do everything slowly - walk, talk, think...

You keep seeing this midsized building in which they are walking up the stairs, but how can it take so long? oh well they do everything slowly...

It has meaningless lines, delivered slowly and badly. They torture us with bad cut scenes, awful camera handling, awful effects and bad music/sound.

This is terrible, it does nothing for me - except for being annoying. Maybe it is supposed to be controversial, provocative, blasphemous or something; it accomplishes none of this. Forget this title and find something more interesting.