The 52 In 52 Part 21: Under The Skin



Welcome one and all to the 21st part in my weekly blog series, The 52 In 52. The premise, as always, is simple. I have a large collection of DVDs and Blu Rays that I have bought and left on the shelf to gather dust. Each week in 2019 I will pick one at random and review it. Last week I watched the incredible sequel/equal to Rocky Horror Picture Show, Shock Treatment or check out all of the previous entries by heading over to my Homepage.

As always if you have any comments or feedback leave a comment in the section below or by following me on Twitter and Instagram.

This week I am reviewing the 2013 science fiction film, Under The Skin. Based on the 2000 novel of the same name written by Michel Faber, Under The Skin follows an alien creature posing as a human female (Scarlett Johansson) as she travels around Scotland picking up men to lure them into a trap.

I have to admit I knew very little about this film until it's release in 2013 and I'm a little disappointed in myself that I haven't watched it before now. I was made aware of the films production as there was a few scenes filmed in a nearby town and was intrigued to see what the film was all about. The Scottish landscape plays a massive part in Under The Skin, really hammering home the solitude and loneliness of the female character throughout the film. The female travels round largely unknown until she manages to snare the attention of an unsuspecting victim. I understand there was budget and production constraints whilst making the film but, whilst I was a little frustrated by the lack of back story I did enjoy that there wasn't an over the top story arc about why she was doing what she was doing which is mostly hinted at and never really confirmed. Johansson's interactions with most are mechanical and rehearsed which slowly fades as she adopts more humanity.

The way in which Under The Skin was filmed and produced is in a very stripped down way. There is a grainy feel to the film that makes it feel a lot older than it is and that's what makes the more visual effects driven scenes that much more impressive. There is a tendency in science fiction films to over use effects to show the fantastical element but, in Under The Skin earth is the other world. The effects driven scenes, the final scenes in particular are well produced. They play well and don't feel jarring in any way.

The soundtrack and score throughout is fantastic. Mica Levi created a weird almost horror style score that floats through the film making the scenes feel almost claustrophobic at times.  The score is really a highlight of the film and feels like it fits perfectly in a very sparse film.

The interactions between Johansson and the females victims are well acted, seemingly effortless conversation which felt natural and like the scenes were filmed conversations with the public. Johansson is an incredible actor and a film like Under The Skin really shows this, very few could command the attention of the audience for almost all of the film.

Overall Under The Skin is a fantastically made science fiction film that shows the character work and story are sometimes better than over the top effects. A great story partnered with an even better score makes for one of the better science fiction films made in the past 20 years.


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