Blu-Ray Review – Take Shelter
There seems to be a new apocalyptic film out every other week lately and whilst most lack originality, every once in while a film comes along with a fresh perspective on the genre, Take Shelter is one such film, but does it deliver? Tom Bielby checks it out…
Focussing on the build up to a possible global disaster, Take Shelter looks at the life of Curtis, a family man who experiences visceral dreams and nightmares that appear to predict a forthcoming catastrophe. Throughout the film we are unsure if these visions really are prophetic or if Curtis is suffering from the same illness that affected his mother when she was his age, and it is the answer to this mystery that drives the narrative forward as Curtis delves deeper into his past whilst the visions that plague him become more profound.
Michael Shannon is perfectly cast as Curtis, he has been blessed with a face that always looks confused and this is a fitting characteristic considering his character’s uncertain state of mind. Although it is a great performance, I can’t help feeling that the Oscar buzz surrounding his role is any more than hot air, Shannon’s explosive outburst halfway through the film is phenomenal but he spends most of the movie staring into the sky, completely mystified by the onset of gloomy weather.
The sunshine in Curtis’ life is his deaf daughter Hannah, who he will do anything to protect and is one of the key reasons behind his decision to build the titular shelter that will keep his family safe if his predictions of a catastrophe ring true. Jessica Chastain is excellent as the glue that keeps the family together when her husband begins to show signs of instability, despite her doubts as to his seemingly crazy obsession with creating a shelter in their own back garden.
The visions of the coming apocalypse are impressive without being too showy, and some of the nightmarish images actually had the effect of prompting an elderly couple next to me to leave before the film had even got going! These dream sequences are amongst the best scenes in the film as the unexpected events that are depicted in Curtis’ visions are in complete contrast to the more mundane aspects of his reality.
It is a shame that the majority of the film’s highlights are glimpsed in the trailer, as this led me to believe that Take Shelter was going to be something very special indeed. I am a huge fan of films where we are unsure if the protagonist is mentally ill or if the apocalypse really is on its way such as in Save the Green Planet or Day of the Beast, even if we know that there are only ever two possible outcomes, I find myself drawn in, desperate to discover which way the director in question will conclude his film. Unfortunately, Take Shelter meandered for far too long, and whilst the cinematography and acting were close to perfect, the story just wasn’t captivating enough to prevent my attention from waning.
I would not want to deter people from giving Take Shelter a chance, as it has received high praise in a number of early reviews, but for me it just didn’t deliver. Shannon’s performance is commendable, the concept for the story is fascinating and the nightmarish images are inventive but the film seemed to lack a heart, and this was confirmed near the end of the film when I had my fingers crossed that a violent storm would come and pluck Curtis from the ground…
TAKE SHELTER IS RELEASED ON BLU-RAY AND DVD IN UK ON 19TH MARCH 2012
About The Author – Tom Bielby
Long time film fan and aspiring film writer, Tom is a horror fanatic who wasted far too much time at University sitting through every film in the IMDB Top 250. He is partial to foreign films and cult cinema and would love to rid the world of people who rustle their popcorn during important scenes. He can be found on Twitter under the alias @filmbantha
Are you looking forward to this film? Have you seen it already? Comment below…
Tom Bielby
I reckon it’s one of those films in which you have to love the cast in order to survive the film, but I don’t like the cast in this one, so ….
You could be right there Dez, I’m partial to Shannon so that definitely helped. It’s not a bad film by any means, better than average but nothing special.
Great review Tom.
I still really want to see this as I do love Michael Shannon. But i will go in with a little lower expectations than before
thanks for this!!
Cheers Scott, I’m still glad I saw it and did enjoy it for the most part, it’s always better to head in with lower expectations to avoid disappointment!
Hopefully will catch a screening next week at Dukes. I will let you know what I though of it
Thanks for the review, Tom. I’m usually a fan of global disaster movies but might give this one a miss now!
No problem General Madine, you don’t really see much disaster in Take Shelter anyway, it’s more of a character study.
I really want to see this; it’s near the top of my list of movies from this year I want to see. I am a sucker for movies about mental breakdowns.
Me too Tyler, it’s hard to place it but there’s just something really engrossing about films that look at people who may be losing their minds.
Shannon is consistently underrated, but always brilliant! I adore his abilities.
I won’t read this, since it’s one of the rear films I’m still excited about for this year but I’ll let you know what I think when I catch this ASAP.
You should enjoy this then Anna, I am a fan of Shannon as well, and he plays a fairly similar role to his performance in the under-rated My son my son what have ye done?
Looks fantastic. Shannon always seems to play characters who are mental, but he does it so well.
I agree, he does enjoy playing mental characters, and it’s given rise to some fascinating films.
I have to agree with you that the whole premise of the film is brilliant. I too like the whole idea of not knowing and the suspense when mixed with good acting makes for a great watch. Although you have given it an average score, I shall also listen to what you wrote and watch the movie when it releases. If not for the story, I think it will be worth for the performances.
I hope you enjoy Raghav! It is a fairly good movie and definitely worth watching if only for Shannon’s performance.
Heard great things about this movie and I’m still looking forward to see it. Certainly, it could be one of those indies which are a bit too minimal and end up being a bit too dull.
I wouldn’t say it was too dull, there were some great scenes but just not enough of them. Still worth watching for Shannon though.
Been waiting a long time to see this movie, but so far it hasn’t played in any theaters near me (Indiana) and it is at the very top of my “must see” list.
Hope you got to see it Bert, I feel for you, it’s always frustrating when films don’t show anywhere nearby.
Nice review, Just got a chance to finally see this film and found it to be amazing. Shannon and Chastain really play off each other well. The amount of symbolism, allegory and metaphor in the film was almost overwhelming. I can see why this was not accepted by a more mainstream audiance but a bit shocked that Shannon did not get a best actor nod from the academy. I hear what your saying about the pacing being a bit slow but for some reason that did not really bother me with this film.
We currently have a post up discussing people’s possible interpretations of the conclusion of the film and would love to hear any thoughts you might have about
Thanks for the comment, glad you took a lot from the film, and whilst I do usually enjoy slow burners I struggled with Take Shelter. I watched Bug the other day for the first time, a bit of a disappointment but Shannon plays a very similar role of a person on the edge of sanity in it and you might want to check it out.
One of the best movies I’ve seen in a long time. Such a well acted and executed film too. Missed the boat on this last year but saw this a few weeks ago and fell in love with it as well as that haunting score.
Glad you enjoyed it Marc, I agree it has a great haunting score and even though I wasn’t too impressed by Take Shelter on first viewing I will definitely return to it at some point in the near future.
Great review Tom!!
I have been waiting for the DVD to come out because my country’s cinema didn’t play it
Thanks for your comment Novroz. It’s such a shame when films don’t make it to your cinema, I always get frustrated waiting for the dvd release date, hopefully it will be worth it for you though.
I like Shannon and Chastain but for some reason I haven’t got around to seeing this. I’ll keep my expectation in check when I finally rent it though.
They are both very impressive actors and Chastain seems to be tackling a lot of great roles lately. Hope you enjoy it Ruth, it’s always good to keep expectations in check, then there’s much more chance of being impressed!
Still haven’t seen this but it has been on my radar for a while. Although you have your reservations Tom I still have to check this one out.
Hope you get round to watching it Dan, although I wasn’t too convinced by Take Shelter I am still curious enough to give it a second viewing as there are so many others out there who really enjoyed it.