The Number 23

It was a particularly movie filled weekend for me. Not only did I choose one, but two movies to view and offer my thoughts on for this weekend. You've seen my thoughts on one of them. Here comes the other.

"The Number 23." What can I say? I was slightly more than disappointed. For a movie I had been looking forward to for quite a while, it really didn't live up to the hype. Advertised as an "obsessive thriller," it turned out to be more of a predictable conspiracy theory with a subpar ending.

At least this movie had alright acting. This time, it was the narrating that was awful. Done by Jim Carrey himself, the narrating seemed more sarcastic; as though he were attempting to be another character in one of his comedies instead of a serious drama. His tone was annoying; often condescending to the point where I simply stopped listening and just started watching the pictures go by and making up my own dialogue.

The thought behind the story had merit. The 23 Enigma has been long thought of and studied in the psychological world. So making a psychological thriller was really a good idea. However poorly done it was. Some of the statistics, far fetched as they were, even had me thinking in my seat, tabulating whether my social security number would add up to 23 (it doesn't), if my address could add up to 23 (it does), etc. But the ending of the movie left me upset, left me wanting more. And I found myself unfulfilled.

Without spoiling the ending, it stinks. It's predictable, you can see it coming a mile and a half away, and you don't have to be a genius to know how it's going to end. The slightly entertaining points of the movie, the three that I can remember that amounted to about 3 minutes out of an hour and forty five minute long movie, were far outweighed by the predictable story line, annoying narration, and, at times over-the-top paranoia.

If you want my opinion, which if you've read this far you either want my opinion or are too bored to care, wait for this one to either come to Blockbuster or to make it to the rotation on a free movie channel.

Another creative, good idea killed by lack of ability.

Until next time.