The 9th Life of Louis Drax (2016)

I usually don't review movies but I saw the 'meh'-rating of what I found to be a visually stunning trip and thought-provoking theme so I felt I had to put my two cents!Granted it is not for everybody, I can see how the combination of a metaphysical aspect with a mystery, thriller drama can appear too senseless for some but give it a try with an open-mind!I personally found it very gripping and satisfying to watch- apparently very memorable since I still think about it 2 years after watching! 8.5/10

I'm surprised this movie doesn't have a higher rating. While I didn't like the makeup and voice of the monster and thought the movie might have been better without it, I liked the mix of fantasy and reality. I saw the plot twist coming a bit early, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment. The narration from the kid's perspective was fine. I always love it when a story doesn't assume a child is stupid and adults are know-it-alls. I definitely felt empathy for the kid.What I liked the most was the soundtrack, which really carries the movie. I'm a huge Patrick Watson fan and I hope he'll get the opportunity to make many more soundtracks.I had some flashbacks to The Sixth Sense (which admittedly is a better movie overall). It also had a dreamy, melancholic, atmospheric quality to it and I think lovers of M. Night Shyamalan-style mystery will definitely enjoy this movie too.

I think most of the other reviewers have picked apart the movie quite thoroughly - highlighting the numerous areas that were perplexing choices on behalf of the director.So, I just have one thing to add. This film is set in San Francisco with some brief shots in San Diego (Seaworld). Why? None of the characters had a San Francisco mindset - that was what took me completely out of the movie, rather than the fantasy elements (which I had no problem with). At best I could classify their mindset as small town New England, but that also doesn't seem fair. If you are interested in a movie that does a good job of portraying the type of people who live in the Bay Area, I recommend Coherence.The San Diego scene was all wrong too - nobody wears jackets and hoodies when they go to Seaworld.

This is not what the director is famous for. But still the suspense keeps us hoping for the turnaround at any time. The film was based on the book of the same name. With a decent cast and production, the film somewhat achieved its goal. The screenplay was not that bad, but the contents lacked. Even though it is a mystery theme, you would predict a few things. Not everybody does that, but I did, I figured it out the puzzle at a certain stage of the narration, before it disclosed at the crucial part.It's about a boy in the title name. He has survived many times from the death since he was in foetus. But it seems for the 9th time he was out of the luck. It was not yet game over for him, because he's now in the coma fighting between the life and death. Meanwhile, his recent past was revealed and her mother starts to get close to the doctor who treating him. From all, the biggest suspense is what made him to end in this condition and when the film reaches the final stage, everything comes out with a twist.It's certainly a watchable film, but the quality of preserving the secret was not up to the par what a normal viewer expects from this kind of storyline. The suitable atmosphere was created, and so the characters. With a decent runtime and its pace, pretty much an okay film, but somewhat, something is not quite well in it. From the direction to the actors, they all very dedicated for to their parts. Thematically, I loved it, yet it should have been more eventful, I mean more story and more developments. Overall, not a must see film, but once.6/10