La Bête

Léa Seydoux and George MacKay love each other, even though the AI says they shouldn't, and time travel is involved. On the whole, this rewarding premise delivers a story that probably wants to be as spectacular as Cloud Atlas was in its day. As a result we get two longer historical episodes of fluctuating pace. The central couple basically never leave the screen in either act, and they're nice to look at, it's just that despite a plethora of witty conversations about fear and impending disaster, I found the greater chemistry lacking for the fatefulness of the relationship. Similarly, the entire film tries to convey tension and urgency, but the scenes from the future where everything is supposed to culminate strike me as lacking any flavor, smell, or odor, despite their dystopian feel. Most interesting in the final summation is George as the world's most outraged 30-year-old virgin, but I doubt it was the makers' wish for him to be the only one stuck in my head a few days after the screening. (30/10/2023)