Fresh and Exciting

An absolute waste of money

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Jeff Nichols is fast turning out to be quite the find and Take shelter is yet another notch up his credit. Great independent film featuring a great premise and fantastic acting.

This was a very interesting premise, and a film that I've had my eye on for quite some time. The husband to a loving family starts experiencing visions of an apocalyptic storm approaching. Are these visions a warning or is his hereditary mental illness creeping up on him? Regardless, he decides to build a storm shelter for his family. Unremarkably it's very reminiscent to "Noah's Ark", but rather remarkably it's twisted to appear more current with psychological traits embedded within. The combination works, although at times the narrative is unfocused and paced inconsistently, yet it's a riveting and intriguing premise. Not only do we witness the mental breakdown of a man, but also the family troubles they go through and how together they are able to overcome these obstacles as a unit. In lieu of all the ups and downs family life can bring, what matters is the cohesion that is created by love. Chastain beautifully portrays this as a wife who sticks by her husband despite what others think. Shannon, well, one of his best performances as I'm sure everyone will tell you. One particular scene where he warns the community of an encroaching storm, where he seamlessly flips a table, really does showcase his acting talents. The chemistry between them was spiky, where one action could lead to an entire breakdown, but deep down they are there for each other. Rather poignant actually. My problem lies with Nichols' script, it was too cumbersome. There was no personality injected into anyone. On top of that, the story was unfocussed in an attempt to balance the main plot with subplots. Wasn't a fan of the final five minutes, would've been better to remove that entirely. However the conceptual blend between biblical and psychological metaphors proved to be a winning formula, and one that shows off some excellent acting from its lead stars.

"he starts building an elaborate and expensive storm shelter in their backyard".sensationalizing the story with this line. the storm shelter was neither elaborate nor that expensive. He bought a shipping container to extend the existing storm shelter, I was expecting something more. The ending was a let down, I could not tell if it was a dream or real. It should have ended with his vindication by having he and his family leaving the shelter only to find devastation around them. a good movie just the same

Curtis is a middle class American, not living a lavish lifestyle but getting by. He has a loving family that is determined to look at the bright side even with his daughter's deafness; they are making progress through therapy, and have a cochlear implant surgery lined up. But his life begins to deteriorate when he begins having visions of a raging impending storm, dreams of an apocalyptic nightmare. These consume his life. Nichols retains his distance and vagueness; we don't fully have an answer to why these visions inflict Curtis, nor are we sure of what is reality in those tense last few scenes. This allows audiences a myriad of interpretations and suggestions of subtext. But it is also a double edged sword because be too vague and it allows validation of crockpot and unsubstantial theories, or cries of anti- climatic. Then again, it is all personal subjective opinion. Nichols doesn't delve too deeply into that end; it is the slow burn of the suspense and thrill of Curtis' demise that this film will be remembered for. Michael Shannon is impeccable - his ability to feign comfort, his wayward glances, his mumbled and stuttered speech. It is agonising for the audience as his family and work relations break down, even as the staccato visions and dreams plague him. Nichols' pacing augments this apprehension. This quite dread climaxes in that Lions Club Dinner scene where he explodes in a maniacal rage and forewarning. We've had plenty of these outbursts before, but Shannon makes it terrifying and almost believable. I wonder if Noah was ever faced with such social ramifications. The reaction of Sam (Jessica Chastain) is a touch that I enjoyed, where most films would have the wife and daughter slowly backing away in horror and recognition of the madness. Chastain will be overshadowed, but her performance is magnificently subtle; in her relief of the good health insurance news, in her panic and fear as Curtis has an apparent seizure, in her steadfast willingness to stick by him even as he blows their financial hopes and embarrasses himself in public. Her trembling hands provide more comfort than he thinks he deserves. She is stronger than CUrtis, and realises the need for her to let him open the door for himself. This is a film about mental illness, but also about the financial anxiety of modern America. We cringe but watch on intently as Curtis blows money on gas masks, construction equipment and a crude storm shelter, but we sympathise with how his life has been taken over. We see the clear ineptitude of the mental health services and how unequiped they are to deal with Curtis' situation, as he jumps through hoops and payments. So the ending may be a powerful statement about the paranoia and confusion that mental illness may bring; the opening of the door as a admittance of a problem, and the impending storm as a metaphoric challenge for the young family. This interpretation is just one of many, but fits with the increasingly dread and hostility as Curtis alienates everyone around him. The initial aural parallels foreshadow this and use sound bridges elegantly; the dirty brown rain shares the morning shower of a weary Curtis, and the construction drill to Sam's sewing machine. Credit must be given to the score by Wingo, which personifies dread and fear in its frenzied strings, but backs away during moments of intense emotion before building for that inevitable explosion (or lack of it). This is most evident in the storm shelter scene and that teary-eyed plea from Chastain to Curtis to take his dilemma into his own hands. The editing is tight but revealing. No better scene illustrates this than the final one, where we are aware of what is to come long before the money shot, through close-ups of terror and disbelief, of innocent sand castles hurriedly abandoned, of a murky yet very clear reflection in the window of a gigantic and monstrous storm approaching. Nichols' use of sparse yet foreboding special effects of oily rain and the possessed flight of birds makes the ending that much more intense; he is able to milk the emotional dread as much as possible until he finally cuts to the wide shot. But in this storm, they stand together.