Only in the 60s could a movie like this have been made. That's a statement I've used both as a positive and a negative. With "Seconds", I'm somewhere in between.
The beginning is unbearably slow. The audience is expected to deal with this massive concept, but we're saddled with a character who doesn't ask even the most obvious questions. Arthur Hamilton is given the opportunity to fake his own death, undergo plastic surgery, and start a new life. While some attempt is made to convey why he would agree to this, it still feels too easy, as if they just want to get it over with and bring on Rock Hudson as Hamilton's new self. Characters tell Arthur what he's going to do, but we don't dig much deeper into why he's being offered this opportunity.
Things do improve some when Hudson arrives, but it's not really until he begins to question what his life has become that things take off. Hudson does a great job in this film, and the critical and commercial panning he took was unwarranted. There are flaws in this film, but Hudson's performance isn't one of them.
By the end, we see Hudson coming to the realization that too much of his life has been spent chasing material things, a conclusion that just seems trite in view of the larger issues here. In fact, the whole concept seems underthought. Yes, these people get younger-looking bodies, but aren't they still the same age they were before? Perhaps my view's tainted, because for years I had thought this was a movie about group that made people younger, sort of a fountain of youth treatment, an idea I found interesting. After finally watching it tonight, the reality felt like sort of a letdown.
Still, the film does have some genuinely disturbing moments, and the ending is chilling. It's something of an ancestor to films like `The Game', and shows like `The X-Files', with its conspiracies and shadowy concepts. It's definitely worth checking out, but I can't help but feel that there's a better film buried in here somewhere.
The beginning is unbearably slow. The audience is expected to deal with this massive concept, but we're saddled with a character who doesn't ask even the most obvious questions. Arthur Hamilton is given the opportunity to fake his own death, undergo plastic surgery, and start a new life. While some attempt is made to convey why he would agree to this, it still feels too easy, as if they just want to get it over with and bring on Rock Hudson as Hamilton's new self. Characters tell Arthur what he's going to do, but we don't dig much deeper into why he's being offered this opportunity.
Things do improve some when Hudson arrives, but it's not really until he begins to question what his life has become that things take off. Hudson does a great job in this film, and the critical and commercial panning he took was unwarranted. There are flaws in this film, but Hudson's performance isn't one of them.
By the end, we see Hudson coming to the realization that too much of his life has been spent chasing material things, a conclusion that just seems trite in view of the larger issues here. In fact, the whole concept seems underthought. Yes, these people get younger-looking bodies, but aren't they still the same age they were before? Perhaps my view's tainted, because for years I had thought this was a movie about group that made people younger, sort of a fountain of youth treatment, an idea I found interesting. After finally watching it tonight, the reality felt like sort of a letdown.
Still, the film does have some genuinely disturbing moments, and the ending is chilling. It's something of an ancestor to films like `The Game', and shows like `The X-Files', with its conspiracies and shadowy concepts. It's definitely worth checking out, but I can't help but feel that there's a better film buried in here somewhere.