Today in 2021 is my second time to watch the 1996 movie "Irma Vep". I saw it back in the day shortly after it was released, but haven't seen it since. Then as the chance presented itself to revisit the 1996 movie "Irma Vep" from writer and director Olivier Assayas, of course I did so.
Needless to say that the main reason for why I watched this movie is because of Maggie Cheung. I have been a huge fan of her for about 32 years, give or take. And of course she is the driving force behind a movie such as "Irma Vep".
There is a sense of self indulgence to this movie, something about the French cinema being bloated and overly full of itself. Not that I would know much about that, because I am not overly familiar with French cinema. But "Irma Vep" does paint the French people in sort of a cliché light here, as they seem to be drinking and smoking a lot.
The storyline in "Irma Vep" is a little bit odd, to tell the truth, and there is that artistic touch to it that French cinema is known for, for better or worse. Now, a movie like "Irma Vep" is not a movie that will be overly enjoyable to everyone in the audience, as much of the contents of the storyline is something of an acquired taste.
As I mentioned before, Maggie Cheung is the driving force of this movie, as she almost single-handedly carries the entire movie with her performance. And of course it is great fun to watch her in that costume; something you don't get to see her do in the Hong Kong cinema.
Ultimately, then "Irma Vep" is a watchable movie, if you can tolerate oddball French cinema. However, this is not a movie that has much of any broader appeal, as this is definitely a niche experience.
I am rating "Irma Vep" a five out of ten stars, based mostly on the performance of Maggie Cheung.
Needless to say that the main reason for why I watched this movie is because of Maggie Cheung. I have been a huge fan of her for about 32 years, give or take. And of course she is the driving force behind a movie such as "Irma Vep".
There is a sense of self indulgence to this movie, something about the French cinema being bloated and overly full of itself. Not that I would know much about that, because I am not overly familiar with French cinema. But "Irma Vep" does paint the French people in sort of a cliché light here, as they seem to be drinking and smoking a lot.
The storyline in "Irma Vep" is a little bit odd, to tell the truth, and there is that artistic touch to it that French cinema is known for, for better or worse. Now, a movie like "Irma Vep" is not a movie that will be overly enjoyable to everyone in the audience, as much of the contents of the storyline is something of an acquired taste.
As I mentioned before, Maggie Cheung is the driving force of this movie, as she almost single-handedly carries the entire movie with her performance. And of course it is great fun to watch her in that costume; something you don't get to see her do in the Hong Kong cinema.
Ultimately, then "Irma Vep" is a watchable movie, if you can tolerate oddball French cinema. However, this is not a movie that has much of any broader appeal, as this is definitely a niche experience.
I am rating "Irma Vep" a five out of ten stars, based mostly on the performance of Maggie Cheung.