BADLANDS (1973) - Movie Review

#badlands #terrencemalick #deepfocuslens

[jadeofoz]

I watched this film last month for the first time. Watching it felt like reading a classic book like to kill a mockingbird or something. The visuals felt like experiencing something greater than itself.

[JoseChavez-rful]

Another insightful review that makes me want to run and revisit this film ASAP.

I love how you describe the two main characters as being “detached from the idea of consequence and existence entirely, just floating through life like ghosts, not really bound by time.”

In that way “Badlands” achieves the sense of dislocation that “A Ghost Story (2017)” was going for, but, remarkably, Mallick is able to nail that spacey, dreamy feeling within the basic framework of a true crime drama.

When Mallick is at his best, his tone and style transcend the particular genre he’s working in and gives birth to a new kind of poetry.

[stevehndz]

Loved this! Now I want you to review all of Terrence Malick’s films! Great job!

[TheLazyReviewer]

My favorite Terrence Malick film such a beautiful movie

[davidellis]

Martin Sheen & Sissy Spaceck are spectacular in this film.

[FlackooPretty]

This is one of my fav movies of all time! Ironically it gives me peaceful vibes when I think about it.

[haydengarinduchesne]

Love badlands . A wonderful introduction to the world of Terrence Malik , still his best movie imo, and one of the best of the 70s

[STRZB]

I’ve been watching you since your RAN review and have not been dissatisfied by a single video of yours. Amazing reviews by an awesome woman! Thank you! :)

[philipgior]

Amazing, I caught this flick a few nights ago, though I've seen it before. A beautifully rendered film that has all the Malick trademarks; gorgeous cinematography, ongoing voice narrative, death, snapshots of nature, stark characters of questionable motivation ...The film is based on the Charles Starkweather serial or spree murders in the late 50's in which he embarked with his gf, Caril Ann Fugate. It's debatable whether she was a willing accomplice or that he forced her to go along with him. I'd say this is my 2nd fave Malick film after 'The Thin Red Line' (what's yours btw?) And Sissy is also one of my fave actresses, her mere presence in a film alone makes it worth watching You really nailed it with this review ))

[JJJJJVVVVVLLLLL]

Thin Red Line is the Malick movie that made the biggest impression on me. Saw in a good theater during its initial run.

he got somewhat of a similar sensation as Badlands… being plunged into the immediate sensation and subjectivity.

[RamonIsWokeAF]

I have just discovered your channell..what a revelation!!! I am hooked!!! Thank you for a real and true introspective narrative....I love this and I am along for the ride!!

[fritzidler]

Thanks. "Badlands" is my only Malick movie so far. More than once too. It hit me listening to you, you're describing Ernest Hemingway's writing style, and point of view. That's what Malick did in "Badlands."

[sagarsaxena]

Very interesting articulation of how Sissy Spacek feels/looks on screen. "Carrie" worked in a large part coz of her.

[thekingfcomedy]

I would love to hear your thoughts on Malick’s three films after The Tree Of Life. To The Wonder, Knight Of Cups and Song To Song. They’re his most abstract and probably his least accessible. It would be interesting to see what side of the coin you land on because they’re so divisive.

[KiloBravo]

Always been a fan of Terrence Malick and I’ve been wanting to watch this film. Thanks for reminding me that this is out there!

[alexsc]

Man I love your videos! One of my favourite reviewers

[AdamFishkin]

It comes across as something "Days of Heaven" must have been the antithesis to 5 years later: the characters in the latter film are borne down by a weight that the characters of "Badlands" refuse to acknowledge. Or it could be seen as a continuation: they're all trying to escape, but some are more aware than others of the loneliness waiting for them at the end. Either way Malick certainly picked the best two stories to define his style while spending 20 years releasing absolutely nothing.
As a playwright and director, I was constantly using "Days of Heaven" as a template for how to create a theatrical atmosphere. It's been frustrating to be surrounded by people in theatre who insist you have to always be SAYING SOMETHING in order to keep an audience engaged. There is so much joy in trusting an audience to meditate. How someone experiences a play, or film, is also where the feedback comes from.

[hoibsh]

I've seen Badlands and loved it, now I want to check out Terence's other films.

[lacrimatorium]

Thanks for this one Maggie. I haven't seen Badlands since I saw it in the big screen back in the late 70s, when repertory movie theatres were a big thing. You've prodded me to go back and perhaps take a deeper dive on Mallick, which fortunately isn't that many films.

[balthysar]

Malick is my favorite film maker. Understanding Heidegger is helpful in grasping his films but the Russian philosophers Sergius Bulgakov and Vladimir Solovyov are absolutely essential. The contemporary Irish philosopher William Desmond is helpful as well. For Malick the world is a flaming bush…calling any of his work that I have seen “pretentious” is either lazy or just wildly inaccurate. Thank you so much for reviewing his first film here. I usually never have a favorite of anything but if I had to make a favorite film The Tree of Life would probably be it. I appreciate your analysis of Sheen and Spaceck’s characters.