What I and the other people who liked this movie share is a particular demographic, techno-geek, fond of puzzles. If you don't fit that profile, you simply will not like this movie.
Here are the reasons that most normal well balanced people would not like this movie:
1. Certain production values are just not up to scratch. It is hard to see how the director could have got more out of his miniscule budget, but these days unless you have kick ass cgi and perfect cinematography, most people will be irritated. Seeing it again, I am really impressed by the simple hacks the director pulled off to save money.
2. The plot is impossible to follow on the first viewing, and in fact it probably needs a little research and discussion before you begin to figure out what's happening and only then does it begin to be fun to watch. This is a big no-no for conventional film making. It is generally considered unfair on your audience to require them to watch a movie twice before enjoying it. Christopher Nolan did something similar with Memento, except that it was possible to at least feel you "got it" after seeing it the first time.
3. Acting is a little patchy in places and the voice-over is a pretty dated cinematic trick.
4. The director made a movie he did not quite intend to make, so the tag line and trailer don't really convey what the movie is actually about. Carruth intended to show how two friends become alienated when they invent a machine which makes them all powerful. It is a character arc based on Maslow's hierarchy of needs. What happens when you have everything? Actually the movie turned out a little different. The character arcs are still there, which, in my view marks it out as a decent movie to start with. But what has everyone buzzing is the innovative method of time travel described and the possibilities that it opens up. The plot and its various interpretation have become a kind of puzzle which appeals to people who like puzzles.
Personally, I don't think there is one valid way to interpret the plot. I think Carruth ended up putting nearly all of his film stock into the finished print, so the end result was to an extent dictated by the small budget. It is therefore not nearly so well worked out as people tend to think it is. But it nevertheless fun trying.
Here are the reasons that most normal well balanced people would not like this movie:
1. Certain production values are just not up to scratch. It is hard to see how the director could have got more out of his miniscule budget, but these days unless you have kick ass cgi and perfect cinematography, most people will be irritated. Seeing it again, I am really impressed by the simple hacks the director pulled off to save money.
2. The plot is impossible to follow on the first viewing, and in fact it probably needs a little research and discussion before you begin to figure out what's happening and only then does it begin to be fun to watch. This is a big no-no for conventional film making. It is generally considered unfair on your audience to require them to watch a movie twice before enjoying it. Christopher Nolan did something similar with Memento, except that it was possible to at least feel you "got it" after seeing it the first time.
3. Acting is a little patchy in places and the voice-over is a pretty dated cinematic trick.
4. The director made a movie he did not quite intend to make, so the tag line and trailer don't really convey what the movie is actually about. Carruth intended to show how two friends become alienated when they invent a machine which makes them all powerful. It is a character arc based on Maslow's hierarchy of needs. What happens when you have everything? Actually the movie turned out a little different. The character arcs are still there, which, in my view marks it out as a decent movie to start with. But what has everyone buzzing is the innovative method of time travel described and the possibilities that it opens up. The plot and its various interpretation have become a kind of puzzle which appeals to people who like puzzles.
Personally, I don't think there is one valid way to interpret the plot. I think Carruth ended up putting nearly all of his film stock into the finished print, so the end result was to an extent dictated by the small budget. It is therefore not nearly so well worked out as people tend to think it is. But it nevertheless fun trying.