Ascension

I saw a screening of "Ascension" and I could not believe that producers actually funded this. I could not beleive how awful it was. Everything that makes film great: acting, dialogue, camera movements, sets etc were so bland and boring that the only thing that kept me in my seat was the faint hope that 1 thing, JUST ONE thing would be good about it. And you know what, there was not one frame of film in "Ascension" that I found redeeming. Do anything you can not to see this film. The only positive comments that are posted are made by the unimaginative director and his entourage of idiots.

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!

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!

My friend and I have always enjoyed watching all types of arthouse movies. So when we heard of this one we thought "ok cool, this seems like the kinda movie we'd like". We watched this movie in 2004, and now, 18 years later we still talk about "that horrible movie". Just last night my friend said "remember Ascension? I still can't get over that movie". We've recommended the movie to people as a cruel prank, which I'm now thinking no one deserves. We both agree that this is the worst film we've ever seen, and that's saying something.

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.