Shady Review: Memento

Finally I return! Much has happened, enough to keep the most disciplined of reviewers at bay for months. Thankfully, my shadiness coupled with the enslaving of a new assistant meant I struggled out of the swamp of despair in only a few weeks. My good friend the Blue Toy Car is dead. Yes, dead. I had to shoot it when I overheard it's plots to destroy me and take my place. I then snapped it in half to be sure, and gave him to my cousin saying it was a building set for a model car. Within I grieve, but the show must go on! What was I supposed to do again?.. Oh right, a review! This time, Memento is at the shooting range. Let's see how many holes I gave it!


Big explosions?
No. Well, that may be a tad harsh, but CGI and other special effects are mostly absent from this movie, however it doesn't make it any less of what it is. There is plenty of trick filming in Memento, and they really manage to lull us into what's happening with the clever use of their scenes. As it is, the entire movie is shot backwards, save for black and white shots in between that tie up the story. This is to ensure the viewer never knows more then Leonard, our hero this time around. Memento was also released in the US with all the shots reassembled into chronological order, and diligent as I am, I watched that too. The shots sadly lose their suspension of disbelief, and the movie no longer keeps you thinking, nor does it leave you much surprise. It also means you'll have to sit through 30 minutes of black and white before the movie 'begins', something I myself lack the patience for, though that may be because of the pain.


Failure to communicate?
The acting in Memento is quite adequate. They lift us further into Leonard's mind and we set out to think ill of the same people he does, like the same people he does, and even root for Leonard himself, something I usually fail to do while watching movies, the characters just feel underdeveloped. This is not the case in Memento however. There's plenty of space for character personality, and the whole movie gives off a "good acting" vibe in my book. Not much else to say here. Thumbs up.

Start the fires, i'll build the camp
Without spoiling too much for all you possible movie-watchers, Memento is about Leonard. A fairly young man with a specific case of amnesia leaving him without the capability to store new memories. He literally forgets everything he's done after about two minutes, or as soon as he stops focusing. We follow Leonard as he attempts to find the man who did this to him, whom conviniently enough also murdered his wife. All in all, the story is very basic as far as stories go. What makes this movie shine is the way it is filmed, as mentioned above. Everything in the whole movie comes as a surprise as we slowly see the day unfold backwards, never knowing more than our dear protagonist. Of course, if you're watching the americanized version, all you'll get is a mediocre detective story with fairly good acting, that's not really got anything going for it, but the real version is where it's at.

The big conclusion
Memento is a very enjoyable movie, and although some may find it a little tough to process, (I know a few) it is well worth the extra brainpower to enjoy the full might of this twisting movie. Or you could watch the chronological version, and pretend you're smart and did not just ruin the entire splendor of this movie by yourself.

Rating for Memento: 83% - Well worth watching, especially for you mindtrick lovers.
Rating for Memento(US): 34% - No.


This was all from me this time, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy the -real- version as much as I did! Sorry to those who have been waiting for more reviews, I've been busy twisting in pain, which put a downer on my writing! More wishes for reviews would also be handy, if you've got any. Enjoy the weekend!