Shutter Island

So right off the bat here, THIS REVIEW WILL BE FILLED WITH SPOILERS, so don't read on if you haven't seen the film or are sadistic and like to read spoilers and rob yourself of a great time at the movies
Firstly, nobody wasn't even allowed into the theatre until 5-10 mins before showtime (7:30), never had that happen before, no clue what they were doing, but it looked like an extensive clean up. Can't remember all the trailers except Wall Street (don't you dare put a 2 behind it!!!): Money Never Sleeps, which looks even more badass on a big screen, I didn't really dig the first one all that much but I'm really looking forward to this. Next up we saw the trailer for "She's Out Of My League", which got scattered laughs, and then the "Iron Man 2" which didn't get as strong a reaction I was expecting out of a full theater. Than the movie companies roll out on screen, my heart is pumping, I'm beyond stoked for this movie, I read the book, all moments leading up to this grandiose moment and then..... the fuckin' "She's Out Of My League" trailer pops up again and starts playing, GROAN, along with many of the other theatre members. It was kinda funny the first time I saw it but I don't need to see it multiple times, then the "Iron Man" trailer came on again, which I was cool with because that's a badass trailer, especially on the big screen. Unfortunately this is just a foreshadow of a larger event to come.
Finally the movie starts for good and so does my review. SPOILERS. Ok so diving right in here. I've read/heard from many different reviewers that Scorsese really intended that for the full effect of this movie and everything in it, it's best geared towards people who haven't read the book or have no clue what it's about. Of course that's true as you are unaware of anything to come and can enjoy this film solely on it's film merits rather than constantly comparing it to the book. I've also read that Roger Ebert has said he prefers not having read the book prior to the movie, so he can do just that, judge the film on its merits alone. So I read the book because, hello it's Dennis Lehane!! So obviously the film probably didn't have as great an effect on me in the thriller/reveal element because I already knew what was going to happen. I was able to though, spot little nuances and clues knowing the ending that Chuck is actually Sheehan. Much like after a second viewing of a film (ie. "Fight Club") you see new things you never saw before and stuff makes more sense knowing the ending. Such is when Daniels and Aule are required to hand over their guns, Teddy does so with ease, but Chuck fumbles with it for a few seconds, now in the book Chuck is always thinking there is something wrong with Chuck's hands, but he can never place it. We know now that he is a doctor with big hands and that's why he fumbled with the gun, not being used to it. I'd assume people would not think much of that moment, albeit an important one. I had another example of this, but for the life of me I can't remember what it was! (I know great reviewing skills eh?).
From the first moment of the film, something was off about the acting, I can't quite place it but it just felt hollow and the delivery of dialogue was very unrealistic and I thought DiCaprio was medicore. But then as the film progressed I understood everything about DiCaprio's performance and it all became clear to me how masterful he was. DiCaprio managed to spectacular pull off this slow ascension to crazy. His acting got better and better as he went crazier and crazier, the dimensions and subtleties that DiCaprio displays into craziness, from the migranes, to his reliance on Chuck ,his mannerisms. Also too I hope this was planned but maybe not, Daniels never swore until at least the last third of the film, where the fucks would be more frequent, another symptom of tension, nerves and uneasiness. DiCaprio knocked it out of the park, and proves why he's the greatest actor of our generation. This truly was a showcase for DiCaprio as an actor as alot of the film was just him and his ascension into crazy, which is a great role as an actor. I also loved the WWII flashbacks, amazing, great nostalgic thriller feel.
Mark Ruffalo as Chuck Aule. Perfect casting. Seriously he embodies that role and is Chuck. He was born to play Aule albeit a supporting role. I heard Josh Brolin and RDJr. were in talks to play him, I can't picture either one of them in the role. The only thing I wish they would have maintained of his character from the book, was the humour. They cut out 80-90% of his humour/jokes from the book, which really helped you develop with the character and grow to like, at times more than Teddy. I'm sure Scorsese and co were looking to create a serious darkening thriller and those mass of jokes and such would take away from that so I understand. They did cut the one line/joke that I was looking forward to though, but it all worked out fine in the end.
Obviously it's billed as a thriller and in some respects a "horror" too. But if I can invent a new genre, I would like to call this film a "haunter", combining the thriller and horror. There are a few jump scares but other than that all the thrills come from the tension and uneasiness and really the fear of the unknown. Alot of this too comes from Scorsese's direction, I somehow forgot how masterful he is with his camera movements, beautiful. The way he creates space and really gives us a scope of actually how large these pieces are (ex. cliffs, institution) is really something to marvel at. The shot at the beginning when Teddy and Chuck are riding on the jeep and the camera rides beside them and pans to the huge building really gave that gigantic feel of the place, something that films fail to do alot, make us feel like we are there.
The music deserves it's own paragraph, the key to any great horror or thriller. Fucking fantastic the one item that is the tipping point to whether a film is truly great and one of my favourites. That one recurring cue, the duh duh duh, I can't do it but you know the one I'm talking about. Creepy as hell. I even went out and downloaded the soundtrack after, which I rarely do.
So we're deep in the film now Teddy's on the cliff but where's Chuck, he see what looks like a body he climbs down, grabs the paper. He's down on the rocks looking how to get up. Teddy see's a light from a cave who/what could that be. Rat's start filling up in front of him, so many mysteries still lay ahead, what is what? Teddy takes the first step up.... the screen goes black, for a few seconds, automatically I go "Whoa, interesting direction by Scorsese, choosing to cut to black", then the lights come up, definitely not a Scorsese stroke of genius. What the fuck? Of all moments, I was pissed along with everyone else, there was no way I was going to bed that night without seeing the conclusion (although I already know what happens). These poor people won't even get to see the great reveal. Finally some godsend theatre jockey fixes the film, and we're back on track and the film starts rolling again, albeit with fear instilled inside me that It'll happen again, spoiler alert, it didn't.
I felt that the beginning was suuuuuper slow, and I really wan't people to not be scared of that and stick with the film, as if to tell them with my mind it would pick up, as I think alot of people came into this movie thinking it was something completely different, more action driven as the trailer pegs it to be but it's really waaay more story driven. I just wanted people to stick with it. Now to an important question that I hope you people who saw the movie without reading the book can answer for me, I'd really like to now. (If you're reading this long, thanks!). Were you able to seriously follow and completely understand everything that was happening, with the Daniels/Noyce story and the Rachel/Dolores mix-ups and confusions and Chuck and such? I'm just curious to see how many of you could actually follow this film, because I got the feeling that alot of the people in the theatre had no clue what was going on. I understood it all of course from the book, and I really hoped that people would not disregard the film because of it's confusion. I had to explain a couple things to my dad as well but then he understood it.
Now to the ending, which I heard people loved, but I'm kinda on the fence about it. I was really hoping they would stick exactly to the book, on the ending because it was perfect and it hit you with the reveal that Teddy was still crazy and then the book ended. All in a couple sentences big final twist back, he still thinks he's Teddy, boom, done. But in the film they had the reveal but then they drug it out and the impact of that final line was hampered. I also did not like the newly added "Monster" line as I was in love with the final line of the book. The pan shot of the lighthouse and the creepy music was fucking perfect though, puts that fear right back into you as you leave the theater.
I could go on and on as I keep remembering new stuff to talk about and such but I don't anyone has made it this far and I'm tired of typing. You might think why I'm only giving this an 8, when I pretty much did nothing but praise this film? Well I had some issues with the acting, a tiny bit, maybe more of dialogue delivery and the pacing. But really I think this film was really tailor made for someone who hadn't read the book as the joys of this film are the mysteries and the countless twists and reveals that I had already known. It would have been a huge difference not reading the book, could it have been more enjoyable without reading the book? sure. But then maybe I wouldn't have understood some of the plot and what the hell was actually going on. It's a double edged sword. I'm 1000% sure that this movie will be even better after a second viewing and more after that. I can't wait to grab this on Blu-Ray and enjoy it through the years as it ages and progresses like a fine wine.

Thank you, if you read only a sentence or even if you suffered your way through the whole thing (Unlikely, I don't even want to read it again to proof it). Any feedback is welcomed and might encourage me to do more reviews (hopefully shorter) if anyone actually enjoyed this. Thanks!