Pete's Log: Le Pacte des Loups
Entry #1202, (Movies)(posted when I was 23 years old.)
I went to see "Brotherhood of the Wolf" with Mamie and a couple of her friends tonight. It was really good. It's a French film, and was shown in French, with subtitles. It takes place in the 18th century and is about a naturalist sent from Paris to investigate the killings of peasants by a mysterious beast in some rural province.
I don't think it was received too well, because I noticed at least six people leave during the movie (without returning ... and the theater wasn't too full to begin with). Mamie's friends did not enjoy the movie either. But Mamie and I thought it was great.
What appealed to me most was the visual style of the movie. I was almost constantly in awe of how beautiful the film was. The music impressed me as well. Often I get irritated when suspense is built up through music instead of through the events on screen. This movie at many times managed to build up some good suspense without any music at all. When there was music, it was subtle and very good. The story was fun, and managed to keep surprising me. There was a good degree of suspense and tension, and I never felt the story was too slow. The action scenes were very impressive and fun, and the effects were generally good, though there were a couple times that the CGI was subpar. I also felt the acting was very good. The film was a bit gory, but not excessively so. I only wish my French was less rusty so that I could have wasted less time reading subtitles. But say what you will about the French ... they've got a beautiful language.