Vast Of Darkness

[Artie Fufkin]

Anyone seen this Amazon film? I almost turned it off after the first 10 minutes. But I think I really enjoyed it.

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Quirky sci-fi set in the 50s (?)

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.
I loved the way it was filmed. Some lovely, what seemed, long single takes. I'm gonna watch it again, this time with subtitles. Was really difficult to understand in some places.

[Bad Ambassador]

Do you mean The Vast of Night?

[ImmaculateClump]

Do you mean The Vast of Night?
I didn't like it at all. Found it really boring. I quite liked the beginning but it seemed to run out of momentum fast and never really got going again. Surprised it's reviewing so well, to be honest.

[Inspector Norse]

Haven't seen Vast of Darkness but I enjoyed The Vast of Night.

It wasn't hugely original in its story or themes (a hint of race here, a touch of sex there, a smattering of Cold War paranoia and a spread of alien-abduction-as-small-town-escape) but it was very engaging thanks to the appealing leads and the fantastic sound design and visual style. Andrew Patterson is clearly a very talented director even if he overdid the tricks here, with a slight feel that he was showing off his range in the hope of getting to work with a big budget on his next job.

[Artie Fufkin]

LOLZ!! What a goon! Yes. Vast Of Night, of course.

[olliebean]

I couldn't get through the first 10 minutes. At what point does it stop being completely unbearable to watch?

[BlodwynPig]

I couldn't get through the first 10 minutes. At what point does it stop being completely unbearable to watch?

Fucking hell. The amount of times I've been put off watching something that looked interesting because of comments like this (not a criticism, I do it myself).

Can you provide more detail on why its unbearable?

[Artie Fufkin]

I imagine because it's REALLY difficult to make out what the characters are saying? I recommend watching it with subtitles on.

[olliebean]

I imagine because it's REALLY difficult to make out what the characters are saying? I recommend watching it with subtitles on.

Yes, along with the fact that what I could make out was not interesting, and that they never shut up. I don't know what accent that was but it was just a horrible, jabbering, unrelenting noise and I turned it off after about 10 minutes because I just couldn't take it any more. If I were to watch it again I think it would have to be with the subtitles on and the sound muted.

[Shaky]

The first 10 - 15 mins are a real struggle - lots of long takes following characters we don't know yet as they yammer and mumble - but the film REALLY picks up after that in every single way. Nothing startlingly original but, as others have said, the two leads are great and the look and sound design is fantastic. There are a couple of (clearly audible!) monologues from side characters throughout the film that hit the eerie 50's sci-fi vibe perfectly.

[joaquin closet]

I thought it was fine.

Felt like the main guy character was kinda confused - a cool smart alek nerd who is also seemingly the most popular guy in town? just don't really believe that guy exists.

Liked the first extended conversation with the guy on the phone, but then they pulled the same trick re: extended exposition convos again and again and got pretty tiresome.

Liked the visual flourishes, the camera speeding around town etc.

In it I see a guy who would make a good quality Marvel movie, but not a really exciting new voice. Read an interview with him and Steven Soderbergh and he seems a good egg.

[Schnapple]

Liked this a lot. I did think the first fifteen minutes were annoying, though. But several of the sequences in the second half, especially the interview with the old woman, gave me proper shivers.

[Artie Fufkin]

Liked the visual flourishes, the camera speeding around town etc.

especially the interview with the old woman, gave me proper shivers.

My favourite bits, along with the show at the end.

[notjosh]

It's basically a Twilight Zone episode done in the style of American Graffiti. I liked it fine. It was definitely hard to get into, but if you let yourself be carried along it starts to feel very real and immersive. I particularly liked the extended sequence of the girl on the switchboard as that's something that's usually just a background detail in old/period movies but we got to get a proper look at it for once, through the eyes of a character to whom it's the most normal thing in the world.

I also quite liked that it did the thing they sometimes do in zombie movies of

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never naming the 'sky people' as aliens, as the characters had never heard of them at this point.

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It was a refreshing way to do a

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n alien invasion film

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, reminiscent of

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Signs

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.

Was there any point in the Twilight Zone-style framing device though? I thought it might be leading to a Pleasantville-style twist, but it seemed to be just an indulgence on the part of the director.

[Artie Fufkin]

It's basically a Twilight Zone episode done in the style of American Graffiti.

Heh. Hadn't thought of that, but you're right.

Was there any point in the Twilight Zone-style framing device though? I thought it might be leading to a Pleasantville-style twist, but it seemed to be just an indulgence on the part of the director.

Yes, I didn't see the need for this either.

[holyzombiejesus]

I really enjoyed this although agree with everyone else about the first 10 minutes being a fucking chore. That tracking shot was pretty great, the flashiest I've seen since that one in Secrets in Their Eyes. Anyone know why

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Fay and Everett weren't affected by the playback of the alien talk?

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[Shaky]

Was there any point in the Twilight Zone-style framing device though? I thought it might be leading to a Pleasantville-style twist, but it seemed to be just an indulgence on the part of the director.

I assumed it was just a symptom of the current zeitgeist of Black Mirror, the revived Twilight Zone etc. Wouldn't be massively surprised if the director did some more genre one-offs under the banner of that fictional show.

[Artie Fufkin]

I assumed it was just a symptom of the current zeitgeist of Black Mirror, the revived Twilight Zone etc. Wouldn't be massively surprised if the director did some more genre one-offs under the banner of that fictional show.

That would make sense, yeah.

[Artie Fufkin]

Anyone know why

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Fay and Everett weren't affected by the playback of the alien talk?

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Presumably they were, hence them being zapped up into the ship? That's what I thought, anyhow. Unless I completely missed the point.

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[holyzombiejesus]

Spoiler alert

Presumably they were, hence them being zapped up into the ship? That's what I thought, anyhow. Unless I completely missed the point.

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So why didn't they get

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physically affected

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, like the

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people in the car with them

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?

[Artie Fufkin]

So why didn't they get

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physically affected

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, like the

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people in the car with them

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?

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........delayed reaction? I dunno. Fair point.

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[notjosh]

So why didn't they get

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physically affected

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, like the

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people in the car with them

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?

I didn't understand this either, particularly as the old lady had mentioned

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her son being affected by the words as a precursor to him being abducted.

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I did wonder whether her theory that

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the aliens are putting thoughts in people's heads might link in with the fact that both of them expressed a desire to leave the town. Or maybe that's just why they were chosen.

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To be honest, I don't really care though. Just enjoyed the characters and the mood.

[Artie Fufkin]

So why didn't they get

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physically affected

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, like the

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people in the car with them

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?

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Hey, maybe some people do, and some people don't. What can ya do?

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[holyzombiejesus]

Just wrote a post with loads of questions and analysis in it but deleted as the film's just a bit of well made entertaining fluff, isn't it? No need to ponder why the

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son

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was '

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different

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' or what happened to the

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train

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load of

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p

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e

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op

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l

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e

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.

[notjosh]

Just wrote a post with loads of questions and analysis in it but deleted as the film's just a bit of well made entertaining fluff, isn't it? No need to ponder why the

Spoiler alert

son

[close]

was '

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different

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' or what happened to the

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train

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load of

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p

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e

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op

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l

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e

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.

Don't worry, a YouTuber will be along soon with a "40 Reasons The Vast Of Night MADE NO SENSE" video which addresses everything.

[Artie Fufkin]

I'm still waiting for the Justin Hawkin's biopic....

[Bence Fekete]

I really enjoyed the start of this but found it really sagged in the middle and didn't quite have the phillosophical muscle to match it's wonderful retro aesthetics.

I would have liked to have seen another character arc or two. And more of a sense of threat. The leads were fine but films that rely too heavily on real-time monologues do start to feel like watching a play inevitably. Nevertheless, above average and definitely worth watching if you love nostalgic sci-fi world building.