Read Negative User Reviews for Elephant (2003)

1

MikeT.Oct 18, 2005

This movie is awful. It's the cinematic equivalent of an empty canvas - arrogant and insulting. My immediate response when the movie thankfully ended, was "that's 80 minutes of my life I'll never get back". This is a class This movie is awful. It's the cinematic equivalent of an empty canvas - arrogant and insulting. My immediate response when the movie thankfully ended, was "that's 80 minutes of my life I'll never get back". This is a class project, not a film. As a class project, it might rate a good grade. I highly reccomend this movie for cinematography instructors - it will give you something to talk about. I gave it 1 point for the cinematography (I was going to give it 2, but the scene with a flag football game where the camera didn't move for 5 minutes was a 1 point deduction). For anybody looking for something of interest, or to be (gasp!) entertained, don't bother. This must be what watching a snuff film is like. I knew where the film would evolve to, and sat through an agonizing hour of nothing to get there. Only to have the 20 minutes of actual script concentrate entirely on the violence, and end suddenly with no warning, no point, and no conclusion. A prize winning film? Right. This is a film for those people who likes anything that they are sure nobody else will like, because that allows them to proclaim themselves to be an "expert". A for Arrogant. B for Boring. C for Catatonic. D for Dreadful. And F for the movie's grade.… Expand

2 of 5 users found this helpful

1

AndyJ.Nov 2, 2005

Maybe next time, Van Zant can create a 90 minute film about a 12 year old being molested by a grown man...all for the sake of "ART" ... so that we don't turn a "blind eye" to the topic. Maybe he could call that one "Moose" or perhaps, Maybe next time, Van Zant can create a 90 minute film about a 12 year old being molested by a grown man...all for the sake of "ART" ... so that we don't turn a "blind eye" to the topic. Maybe he could call that one "Moose" or perhaps, "Zebra". Elephant was a sad film for all the wrong reasons. It was well-made, well-filmed and well-acted. Unfortunately, the script and topic was utter crap. I want my money back.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful

2

MikeB.Feb 7, 2006

Pretentious baloney. Cliched characters (the jock with his pretty girlfriend, the dorky girl, the three chatty bulemics) walk the halls and occasionally mumble lines for an hour or so until the two camoflauge-clad, violent video-games Pretentious baloney. Cliched characters (the jock with his pretty girlfriend, the dorky girl, the three chatty bulemics) walk the halls and occasionally mumble lines for an hour or so until the two camoflauge-clad, violent video-games playing NeoNazis head into the school for the killfest. If only I was intelligent enough to love this shallow dribble for what it is.… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful

1

[Anonymous]May 4, 2007

This movie was boring, story is pretty slow. Nothing really happens in the movie. It got so boring that I skipped to the end. The ending ended too early.

0 of 1 users found this helpful

0

TonyB.Sep 21, 2005

That such a serious subject has been treated so poorly constitutes a cinematic crime of catastrophic proportions. Is it possible that anyone connected with this claptrap has ever spent a moment in a high school? It screams artsy That such a serious subject has been treated so poorly constitutes a cinematic crime of catastrophic proportions. Is it possible that anyone connected with this claptrap has ever spent a moment in a high school? It screams artsy pretentiousness all through its deadening 81 minutes.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful

2

AlpasAug 10, 2006

What a piece of crap "most of the film was improvised" says imdb "nazi homosexuals are bad" answers bright forum member that`s all about that.

0 of 1 users found this helpful

2

SophiaSSep 20, 2008

This is a movie you either love or hate, basically. Personally, I hated it. It was predictable and boring, and barely moving.

0 of 1 users found this helpful

0

NazguleroMar 27, 2011

This movie is so bad, it is not even worth writing a review about. It is beyond ridiculous. It looks like a home video, with bad dialogue and bad acting, freakish characters, no plot, no pace, no nothing. How can anyone give this a raveThis movie is so bad, it is not even worth writing a review about. It is beyond ridiculous. It looks like a home video, with bad dialogue and bad acting, freakish characters, no plot, no pace, no nothing. How can anyone give this a rave review ? I wonder why it is that you have to endure 99 **** movies, just to find one good one. It is like searching for the needle in the haystack. I think the problem is that with today's technology, everybody can make films, so there is a lot more crap out there than before, when studios had to think of something good, because it cost a lot of money to make films, and they had to make sure they would make it back. This film is the bottom of the barrel.… Expand

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2

LaGuertaMar 31, 2013

A glorified re-enactment which offers little more than a Wikipedia entry on the matter.

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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0

HeatherW.Jul 13, 2007

I have officially found the worst movie of all time. The characters were all stereotypes, not even close to real people. The only message that we are told is that homosexuals, who play video games and watch documentaries on the Third Reich I have officially found the worst movie of all time. The characters were all stereotypes, not even close to real people. The only message that we are told is that homosexuals, who play video games and watch documentaries on the Third Reich run out and kill people. It is not even shot that well. Throughly and utterly disappointing… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

0

JeremyF.May 15, 2007

This movie is the worst movie I've ever seen. I know all your 10-ers will say I'm crazy and badmouth me inside your head and say things like "How could he say this? He must have no taste." Well, honestly, I can't find one good This movie is the worst movie I've ever seen. I know all your 10-ers will say I'm crazy and badmouth me inside your head and say things like "How could he say this? He must have no taste." Well, honestly, I can't find one good thing in this movie. It drags on and the 90-minute duration feels like 120. It's ridiculous. I watched this movie cause everyone said it was so good and artistic. It's not. It is simply a director getting lost inside his own desire to be so deeply artistic and compelling. Trying too hard is unflattering, and usually does more bad than good. Although, it almost seems like he didn't try hard enough, as this is a bland movie in it's entirety. It has some long drawn out shots of someone just walking, and stayed locked on the screen (camera not moving, of course, for our entertainment) well after the person leaves. I found myself confused at times, but when I eventually connected the dots and saw this was all one day, I was even more horrified. I HATE the scene where the two killers on in the shower together and kiss. This is the most unimportant and unrelated scene I've seen in a movie in a very very very long time. A lot of people think this scene is a perk, showing a brief moment of their relationship but never delving into it. BULL! This is an unneeded potential-love scene. Whatever. I don't care that this movie has an inconclusive ending, but I don't like that all that really was shown to us as a motive was the kid getting a paper ball thrown at him. Stupid. If this is supposed to be a reinterpretation of Columbine, he should be locked up from all film equipment, because he did a poor job. I think the actors and actresses were all mediocre, which I suppose worked in favor since it was supposed (again trying too hard) to be a "normal" highschool on a "normal" day. The actual film of the movie was beautifully shot, but the way it was shot (the long drags, the pointless following scenes) threw me off. The 5 to 15-minute dialog-less points I nearly fell asleep during. I want to appreciate his craft, but this is an insanely overhyped (one of the most I've ever seen) movie, THAT I RECOMMEND TO NO-ONE!!!… Expand

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1

BunnyMay 20, 2013

Here we go. And I thought "Natural Born Killers" was bad. I was glad that I had some cold drinks while "Date Movie" was playing, even gladder to turn it off.

And now, possibly the worst film ever made, "Elephant". Don't read this if youHere we go. And I thought "Natural Born Killers" was bad. I was glad that I had some cold drinks while "Date Movie" was playing, even gladder to turn it off.

And now, possibly the worst film ever made, "Elephant".

Don't read this if you have any intention of seeing this movie. I suggest you do something more rewarding though...have you clipped your toenails? You could also count the grains of salt in a salt shaker, that could be okay.

I wasn't offended by the content, but by the complete banality of this movie. I know, I know, it was supposed to be like "real" life. It's supposed to be "art". But just because something is filmed differently doesn't mean it's any good.

Here is the story (you don't need to read this if you know anything about the Columbine school shooting): It's a regular day at high school, until two misfit kids bring in guns and kill a bunch of people. There you go.

This movie was LAZY. There was not one good character in this film. Of course, this was also for the purpose of being more "real", but come on. The "protagonists" were cookie cutter stereotypes the artsy photographer, the jock, the bulimic girls, the cafeteria workers smoking weed, etc...etc........And the acting! Yikes. The scene at the end, where the blond kid is "warning" others not to enter the school? I doubt the script's instructions said "With little-no urgency". Think "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" (Gene Wilder) in the scenes where the kids are going to so something bad and Wonka goes, "Oh. no. stop. don't."

Apart from the piano playing (and even malicious teen boys who are into Beethoven is NOT an original idea, hello, Clockwork Orange), the boys who bring the guns into the school at the end are such a cliche slightly less good looking than the other kids, dressed in military clothes, into Nazis ("Heavens to Betsy! They're watching videos of Hitler! They're EVIL, I just caught on!") and violent video games, homosexual tendencies (of course the homosexual kids HAVE to be the f***ed up outcasts, right?)...it wasn't even clear that they were being antagonized at school apart from a spitball being thrown at one of them at one point.

Instead of, well, anything, we are subjected to watching the back of some kid's head to the soundtrack of Beethoven's ENTIRE "Moonlight Sonata" as he walks through his (very extensive) high school grounds. We are subjected to the same scene played repeatedly through "different perspectives". We are shown a bunch of clouds throughout Beethoven's "Fur Elise." Please.

And let's not forget about the movie's "messages", which were about as subtle as a sledgehammer. Real art raises, and even answers questions. This movie just insulted my intelligence. Yes, guns are WAYYY to easy to obtain in the USA (although I don't think Van Sant did his research for the scene in "Elephant"). Yes, no one takes the time to KNOW these kids, and we'll never know the reason for this senseless tragedy. Yes, parents should be more present in their kids' lives. Yes, violence is awful and pointless. Oh yeah, and school shootings are X-tra baaaad.

Gus Van Sant just took advantage of a subject people were sensitive about. Gus Van Sant capitalizes on real tragedy with this thing.

It had nothing to say. It's just awful and possibly insulting for people who had to deal with these issues in real life, and not on some cushy, pretentious art-house movie set.… Expand

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1

InfidelpNov 24, 2022

Worst movie I have ever seen. 60 minutes of it is just a walking simulator. No character development. Clichés everywhere. I had to skip any scene without character dialogues because they dragged on for 5 min with just a field or a sky.

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0

Toten69Jan 16, 2022

A movie with teens walking around school... Never been so bored in my life, the SLOOOW pace is beyond exhasperating

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2

bedirhantSep 24, 2022

Bu film, ''Columbine lisesi katliamı'' hakkında detaylı bilgi öğrenmek amacıyla izlemek istediğim filmler arasındaydı. Filmi izlemeden önce izlediğim en iyi psikolojik filmler arasında yer alacağını, hatta bir baş yapıt olacağınıBu film, ''Columbine lisesi katliamı'' hakkında detaylı bilgi öğrenmek amacıyla izlemek istediğim filmler arasındaydı. Filmi izlemeden önce izlediğim en iyi psikolojik filmler arasında yer alacağını, hatta bir baş yapıt olacağını düşünüyordum. Çünkü beklentilerime göre bu film ana karakterlerin duygularını, sorunlarını, psikoloijk yapılarını ve bilinç altı travmalarını detaylı bir şekilde işleyecek, dratik sahneler barındarıcaktı. Lakin izledikten sonra filmin içerisinde beklentilerimin hiçbirini bulamadığımı fark ettim. Film ana karakteri derin işlenmek söyle dursun ekseriyetle onları bana göstermedi bile. Bunun yerine filmin asıl odak noktası olmaması gereken diğer karakterlerin sıkıcı mı sıkıcı hayatlarını gösterdi. Kısa olması sebebiyle de şıp diye bitti. Ne konu hakkında bir bilgi öğrenebildim ne de sinematik bir haz alabildim. Aslında iyi bir şekilde sinemaya uyarlansaydı emin ellerde tam bir baş yapıt olabilirdi, konu bakımından buna oldukça uygun olduğunu düşünüyorum. Filmin başında sonuna kadar iki depresif gencin hayatını biyografik bir şekilde izleyebilirdik ama maalesef bu olmadı. Bu olayı hiç bilmeyen ve daha önceden araştırmayan birisi, bu filmi pür dikkat izlese dahi hiçbir şey anlayamaz. Çünkü kendini açıklama konusunda rezalet derece kötü bir film. Zira bu film duyguları bile tam anlamıyla yaşatamıyor. Tür olarak böyle bir filmin vahşet sahnelerini izlerken gerilmeniz ve heyecanlanmanız gerekir ama gel gör ki filmin sonunda sizi gerecek bir kaos bile yok. insanlar bağırmıyorlar kaçmıyorlar, panik bile olmuyorlar. Şaka gibi resmen. Her neyse İyi noktalarına gelirsek filmin çekim teknikleri ve oyunculukları bana oldukça doğal geldi. Bunun dışında söylenebilecek olumlu hiçbir şey yok, varsa da ben bilmiyorum. adamlar uğraşmamak için müzikleri bile kopyala yapıştır yapmışlar. Bunlar da bilinen birtakım klasik müziklerin aynısı. Rezalet, çöp, hayal kırıklığı. Kim bu filme bu kadar fazla puan vermiş anlayamadım, kesinlikle puanını hak etmiyor. Teşekkürler.… Expand

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