Last time Guillermo del Toro directed a feature film it was The shape of water and won the Best Picture award at the Oscars. And so, it would make a lot of sense to pay attention to del Toro’s next film, the dark noir tale Nightmare Alley. Critics now had a chance to see it new movie starring Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, and even more impressive stars, and although not as hot as the last movie, this is one you will probably want to see.
CinemaBlend review for Mike Reyes Nightmare Alley and was a great admirer of him Guillermo del Toro’s journey to Noir. He gave the film a perfect five star review, and praised the impressive cast and the remarkable story, saying …
With a cast stacked on talented beams and a story so comprehensive that you will be amazed at the elements right in front of your eyes, it is easy to understand why this film has been saved as a theatrical experience.
But he is not the only one who has fallen in the guillotine noir remake of Guillermo del Toro. ΘΡ is just as hit with the film. It’s an incredibly dark story, practically the definition of noir, but it shines no less for what it can achieve …
Nightmare Alley pays tribute to the noir. But it is also his own dark snow globe, bright and versatile, and one of del Toro’s most realistic features.
Nightmare Alley is a remake of a 1947 film (itself based on a 1946 novel) starring Bradley Cooper as a man who falls in love with a travel carnival and falls in love with one of the performers while learning how to be a psychologist himself. Eventually he moves to greener pastures, but in this way his range goes beyond his perception.
Most on-screen praise goes to the two main potential customers. Bradley Cooper receives praise for playing a character who is completely unsympathetic, and yet a character we continue to follow to the end. But Cate Blanchett, who plays a psychologist who joins forces with Cooper, can be the real star, as Slashfilm says…
As good as the first half of Nightmare Alley is, it really comes to life when Lilith appears, played by Cate Blanchett. Blanchett was born to be fatal in a film noir and del Toro knows it.
However, while Nightmare Alley can be a warning story about the dangers of over-ambition, there are some critics who ultimately believe that the film itself is actually that. The playlist says that the film tries to do a lot, but succeeds in very few, explaining …
Inflated in almost 140 minutes with Cooper clearly wrong in the lead, he struggles to maintain urgency. Sad and overly saturated with a CGI patina, this new version of Nightmare Alley adds more anger and f-bombs to the original material, but ultimately remains emotionally inactive and unclear what exactly it means to these characters and the world in which they live.
Although not all critics love the new film, most do, and it seems likely that the audience will find something to appreciate here. Guillermo del Toro Nightmare Alley comes to theaters on December 17th
