Blindness (2008)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Jens S

  
  What would happen if everyone turned blind with no explanation or cure? Well, everyone but one person. This film is drawing a pessimistic picture of such a situation. The basic premise is very interesting, the following premise of the infected being held in camps entirely left to… More
  What would happen if everyone turned blind with no explanation or cure? Well, everyone but one person. This film is drawing a pessimistic picture of such a situation. The basic premise is very interesting, the following premise of the infected being held in camps entirely left to their own devices is already a bit over the top and more inhuman than reality, even if you are misanthrope. What follows is sometimes hard to stomach, a bleak, hopeless outlook on the loss of basic human values. It sometimes feels like the film is even going too far here. Once the one person who still can see finally makes use of that advantage, things turn around and the film gets a lot more exciting and makes for a much more convincing finale, that almost feels like a zombie film but at least keeps a ray of hope. The acting and camera work is outstanding either way. A disturbing film, but at least a memorable one.

• Chris W

  
  This movie is part of a long line of dystopic/social breakdown picutres, and it doesn't really bring anything new to the proceedings, but the specific concept at hand is actually kind of interesting. While this movie isn't as terrible as some have made it out to be,… More
  This movie is part of a long line of dystopic/social breakdown picutres, and it doesn't really bring anything new to the proceedings, but the specific concept at hand is actually kind of interesting. While this movie isn't as terrible as some have made it out to be, it's no masterpiece, and it could have been a whole lot better. It's a mess, but I give it some extra credit with the rating because of it's ambition, some really good individual sequences, and because the acting is really pretty good, even if the material is lacking. Julianne Morre's character is also quite intriguing and interesting, so that's also a plus. The way the the filmmakers choose to tell the story is interesting, but it's kind of annoying. Instead of trying to produce the expereince of going sightless, they should have just done it conventionally, instead of toying with sight and sound. I know they have good intentions, but a little goes a long way, and it gets tiring after the first 1/3 or so. I've never read the book this is based on, but maybe this should have just not been adapted. A few more issues I need to address are the length, pacing, and material itself. The film feels way too long, it drags, it could have been a little tighter, and this is just, in general, a really depressing and disturbing affair. It's also probably offensive to the blind community, even if it is just a "what if?" scenario. This is some hard stuff to sit through. It's bleak, unrelenting, and full of too much hopelessness. It seems like they were aiming for an artsy and thought provoking film, but end up with a tedious exploitation film with high production values and good intentions gone sour. Like I said earlier though, the specific variation to this unoriginal theme is interesting, and the characters (mainly Moore's) and performances are terrific. I'm undecided though as to whether or not it's a good thing that the epidemic and its conclusion are unexplained.

• Wildaly M

  
  The premise is absolutely intriguing. I think it is an interesting character study.

• Leigh R

  
  A bit off the beaten path. Interesting story, but it couldn't hold my interest the entire length of the film. It was... okay.

• familiar s

  
  Some people have mentioned that generally those who don't like it don't get it. Sorry to disappoint, but I quite got it & yet didn't like it. While the movie starts off interestingly, it loses its grip as it progresses & eventually gets on the nerves.

• Mark W

  
  After "City of God" Fernando Meirelles has been a director that has excited me but his follow up "The Constant Gardener" was somewhat disappointing and lethargic and this film suffers from similiar problems. A wife (Julianne Moore) and a doctor (Mark Ruffalo)… More
  After "City of God" Fernando Meirelles has been a director that has excited me but his follow up "The Constant Gardener" was somewhat disappointing and lethargic and this film suffers from similiar problems. A wife (Julianne Moore) and a doctor (Mark Ruffalo) inhabit an unknown, modern American city that finds itself in an outbreak of sudden blindness and as panic soon strikes, the casualties are quarantined in an old hospital where after mistreatment and neglect, they start to form their own internal society with a reversion to barbarism. An apocalyptic film from Meirelles which after his previous films is not surprising. He seems to focus on the sheer animal instinct in mankind and has no problem painting the picture of how easily we can be so brutal to one another when our societal structure breaks down and disharmony takes over. Each character is deliberately non-descript and unknown here and yet again Meirelles crafts a visually appropriate style to the story. Julianne Moore is absolutely brilliant (as usual) as the loyal and compassionate wife who has inexplicably retained her vision and the rest of the cast are entirely convincing with their 'ghost' like movements of blind people, maintaining very little eye-contact and enforced clumsiness. Everything about the look and feel of this society is bleak and uneasy but that's also the problem with the pacing of the film. It starts off brilliantly, grabs you by the hand and guides you on, but unreliably leaves you stumbling and bumping into a few things now and again along the way.

• Bruce B

  
  Excellent movie, about a virus un like 28 Days or 28 weeks instead of turning into a Zombie, you become blind. The government puts people in camps to quarantine them from the general population. One person an eye doctors wife can see and she becomes a caretaker for those that are… More
  Excellent movie, about a virus un like 28 Days or 28 weeks instead of turning into a Zombie, you become blind. The government puts people in camps to quarantine them from the general population. One person an eye doctors wife can see and she becomes a caretaker for those that are blind. Its a great movie, have to give it 5 stars. I'm on a roll

• Conner R

  
  This really had the potential to be a great and ambitious film, but it just about fell under every overused plot point in a disaster story. The overuse of showing the horror of mankind was just pathetic on so many ways, unbelievable on many accounts. What took me out of the film the… More
  This really had the potential to be a great and ambitious film, but it just about fell under every overused plot point in a disaster story. The overuse of showing the horror of mankind was just pathetic on so many ways, unbelievable on many accounts. What took me out of the film the most was the focus on rape and how it was the ultimate defilement of the whole situation. Not to mention the happy ending which in no way fit. The performances were pretty much lacking any sort of empathy, they were either too buffoonery or emotional in the case of Julianne Moore. About the only person I enjoyed watching was Gael Garcia Bernal, due to the fact that he was just so diabolically evil. It's really just a bundle of flaws thrown together with a semi-interesting plot.

• Eric S

  
  A chaotic, dark film(no pun intended) about a town that is struck with a case of sudden blindness. There is no scientific reasoning for the illness, so the people are quarantined due to fear, and mistreated by those responsible for their unjust imprisonment. Things go awry between the… More
  A chaotic, dark film(no pun intended) about a town that is struck with a case of sudden blindness. There is no scientific reasoning for the illness, so the people are quarantined due to fear, and mistreated by those responsible for their unjust imprisonment. Things go awry between the afflicted as well due to their utter mistreatment, and the desperation which arises amongst them. Julianne Moore stars as the only person who hasn't lost their sight which makes her the eyes for those unable to see. She feigns the illness in order to be with her afflicted husband portrayed by Mark Ruffalo, but becomes somewhat of a hero for the sightless victims.

• Wahida K

  
  The only thing more terrifying than blindness is being the only one who can see.''

• Film C

  
  So boring and pointless your left with so many unanswered questions: why did they go blind? what caused them to go blind? how did they suddenly get there sight back? and how on earth is julianne moore the only one who can see? Crap storyline that just leaves you frustrated, irrated… More
  So boring and pointless your left with so many unanswered questions: why did they go blind? what caused them to go blind? how did they suddenly get there sight back? and how on earth is julianne moore the only one who can see? Crap storyline that just leaves you frustrated, irrated and wanting something dramatic or exciting to happen! This movie has nothing apart from some really good actors that make you wonder why on earth they did this movie!? Everyone seems to be affected by this blindness where they only see white but only one person can see thats julianne moore then ttowards the boirng and never ending movie everyone gets there sight back! boring! It has black moments where you see nothing and white moments where you see nothing i guess trying to give the effect of blindness but to be honest its just irratating even more! Really not worth the watch!

• Dan S

  
  A relentlessly bleak, well-acted film concerning the topic of blindness, and how it infects the entire world, except one woman, in only a matter of days. Director Meirelles takes a highly unlikely scenario, makes it incredibly realistic in terms of how humanity reacts to an epidemic… More
  A relentlessly bleak, well-acted film concerning the topic of blindness, and how it infects the entire world, except one woman, in only a matter of days. Director Meirelles takes a highly unlikely scenario, makes it incredibly realistic in terms of how humanity reacts to an epidemic of this magnitude, and creates something that is, for the most part, an effective look on how stripped humanity becomes once something we take for granted it taken away from us. The big problems I had with the movie weren't enough to weigh it down for me to say it isn't worth seeing. One major problem is that there is absolutely no internal controls set by the soldiers that "look over" the infected, which is ridiculous considering at that point in time, considering workers had the right protective gear, these people should've been cared and treated appropriately. The first half is very depressing, but the second half of the film takes an unexpected turn into the real world, with a haunting score (composed of mainly a bell ringing) that adds to the dread the rest of the world is facing. However, as things start to look up (no pun intended), Meirelles doesn't, like I originally feared, head towards total apocalypse territory, instead, giving us hope, and a light at the end of the tunnel, which was enough for me to give this film a solid rating.

• Dean M

  
  This is a chilling and hyper-stylised affair based on the novel. By turns believable, farcical and stagey, it brings to mind the earliest apocalyptic films of David Cronenberg and George A. Romero, while still emerging with a visual style all of its own. I assumed that… More
  This is a chilling and hyper-stylised affair based on the novel. By turns believable, farcical and stagey, it brings to mind the earliest apocalyptic films of David Cronenberg and George A. Romero, while still emerging with a visual style all of its own. I assumed that <i>Blindness</i> must be thriller-drama where the disaese threatens mankind. I liked this approach because it allowed me to get caught up in the smaller group without worrying too much about the rest of the world, only to show me later - doing it the other way makes for a good opening but then also feels a bit of a step backwards to then focus on a small group. The effects of the wider world are impressive even if they are quite as convincing as the despair we had just witnessed inside the camp, but personally I found the visual delivery within the camp to be of much more interest. The cast are mixed because of the material but mostly are good. Moore is impressive with an unlikely character who doesn't totally make logical sense but who doesn't allow you to think about that too much. The change in her character is well done and she does well as, literally, our eyes in the film. Ruffalo is perhaps less striking as a performance because he does his character well ? his character being weaker and more liberal within the context that changes Moore so much. Alice Braga is also good in her part and fits in well with smaller turns from Gael Garcia Bernal, Danny Glover and several others.

• Nicki M

  
  This movie had me literally screaming at the screen, I was so angry at particular people in it - I guess from that angle, it succeeded, because at least I felt something rather than just sit looking blankly at the screen as often happens. Interesting, if hard to take at times, I… More
  This movie had me literally screaming at the screen, I was so angry at particular people in it - I guess from that angle, it succeeded, because at least I felt something rather than just sit looking blankly at the screen as often happens. Interesting, if hard to take at times, I enjoyed it but I found the lack of explanation at the end frustrating, as well as the actions of some of the characters.

• Emile T

  
  The goddamn soundtrack... ugh. <br/> <br/>I wish they wouldn't have used any music track for this film. It would have been great, instead of very good. <br/> <br/>P.S. I love Julianne Moore.

• _kelly .

  
  For a dystopian "end of society" flick, there are far better entries. The movie quickly isolates itself to a small quarantine area (probably for budget reasons) of those afflicted with the "blindness". Within the quarantine, the social order quickly breaks down… More
  For a dystopian "end of society" flick, there are far better entries. The movie quickly isolates itself to a small quarantine area (probably for budget reasons) of those afflicted with the "blindness". Within the quarantine, the social order quickly breaks down when it becomes overcrowded and chaos ensues with one faction of men controlling food and threatening the other residents. The film does okay at communicating the blind affliction, but there are many flaws in what the people can and can't do (for example, one would still be able to wipe their own ass but a main character says that he can't). Just a very lukewarm film, and if it weren't for the great scenes that take place after the quarantine camp, I would give it 2 and 1/2.

• Jason S

  
  A very good movie that takes a look at the power of sin in humanity. Some try and keep the peace while others take advantage of and hurt people for no other reason than to please themselves. There is a lot in this movie that can offend people. Sex, violence, and disturbing images… More
  A very good movie that takes a look at the power of sin in humanity. Some try and keep the peace while others take advantage of and hurt people for no other reason than to please themselves. There is a lot in this movie that can offend people. Sex, violence, and disturbing images make up a lot of this movie as we see a society crumble and fold in on itself. The acting is great and I think each role was cast as good as it could have. The movie is a little long but I found myself wishing there were more at the end. I wanted to see where these people and the world go.

• Dr Blood  

  
  It was very reminiscent of the first episodes of the BBC's Day of the Triffids but even more like the "Blind Alleys" segment of Amicus' Tales from the Crypt (1972). I enjoyed it for the most part but it was overlong and it didn't have a lot of horrific action… More
  It was very reminiscent of the first episodes of the BBC's Day of the Triffids but even more like the "Blind Alleys" segment of Amicus' Tales from the Crypt (1972). I enjoyed it for the most part but it was overlong and it didn't have a lot of horrific action or anything really sexy in it. There were a couple of brief sex scenes but they weren't very graphic. It's tempting to think of it as being like a really long apocalyptic Twilight Zone episode such as "The Shelter" since it's all about what happens to people and how they change for the worse during a crisis. There's no real moral here though. Julianne Moore looks really old and is a lot more freckly than I thought she was. I'm glad she didn't get naked or anything because I think it would have made me throw up. She does a reasonably good job in her role though the script makes her more annoying than she should be. I've given it 5 out of 10. It's pretty average with a couple of inspired moments but, as I said, it's nothing that you haven't seen before.

• Luke B

  
  On it's technical merits this is a superb film. Capturing the hopelessness via some stunning cinematography. It all gets off to a good start. The build up is mysterious and unsettling. It takes time to bring it's A game. It's just such a shame that it descends into one… More
  On it's technical merits this is a superb film. Capturing the hopelessness via some stunning cinematography. It all gets off to a good start. The build up is mysterious and unsettling. It takes time to bring it's A game. It's just such a shame that it descends into one of the dumbest and most irritating messes recently released. The main culprit is Moore's character. A, supposedly, intelligent woman that is immune to the disease. Does she say anything to the government so perhaps they can work on a cure? No. Instead she is a selfish trollop. As the film enters Lord of the Flies territory she is at a distinct advantage, being able to see. Does she do anything to stop the madness? Again, no. She even goes so far as to willingly be used as a sexual object to earn food. Why she doesn't just kill the raving psychopaths is beyond me. It's annoying and frustrating. The film suggests that if we all went blind, then some people would band together to help each other and some would go mental and try to establish themselves "top dog". This is probably true, but it presents it on such an exaggerated level that it's hard to give a damn.

• Gordon A

  
  Interesting central conceit is explored but never analysed, in this fine looking but unengaging tale. The drama and emotion seem muted to match the tone but this makes it feel bland.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings