Variety
An undeniably ambitious but ultimately torpid and silly tale of an alien on the prowl.
Full review
Under The Skin
Scarlett Johansson (The Avengers) stars as a mysterious alien seductress, targeting lone men on remote highways, in this stark sci-fi thriller from director Jonathan Glazer (Birth, Sexy Beast). Based on Michel Faber's acclaimed 2000 novel, nominated for a Gold Lion at the 2013 Venice Film Festival, and most impressive of all, number one on the Flicks critics' poll of best films in the 2014 NZ International Film Festival.
"On Scotland's lonely back roads, a beautiful woman (Johansson) stalks unwitting men. Her identity and her motives unclear, she is simply, and quite literally, a sexual threat. Her eyes deadened but alert... More could be said about the plot, but it's best to allow Under the Skin to reveal itself. From its arresting first image - a pure, white pinpoint of light - it expands outward to become an increasingly absorbing mystery. It's also a Rorschach test for everything one might fear about relations between men and women.... Here, he offers shades of Kubrick and Hitchcock in his depiction of sexuality, capturing a cool, predatory impulse rather than simple heat." (Toronto International Film Festival)
2013Rating: MA15+, Strong themes, violence, sex scenes and nudity108 minsUK
Science FictionThriller
- Director:
- Jonathan Glazer ('Sexy Beast', 'Birth')
- Writer:
- Walter CampbellJonathan Glazer
- Cast:
- Scarlett JohanssonAntonia Campbell-HughesPaul BranniganKrystof HádekJoe SzulaScott DymondLynsey Taylor MackayMichael Moreland
Under The Skin / Reviews
The New York Times
The movie's eerie, climactic image challenges our conventional notions of human identity...
Full review
The Guardian
A striking attempt to tell an exotic story in a down-to-earth environment that deserves praise for its singularity of vision, even as it runs the risk of ridicule.
Full review
Hollywood Reporter
Viewers willing to embrace a purely visual experience without dramatic, emotional or psychological substance will comprise an ardent cheering section.
Full review
Empire Magazine
Odd and sexy, troubling and touching, frustrating and mesmerising, dull and haunting.
Full review
Share