Despite repeated attempts, I have never managed to watch this movie all the way through; I usually die of boredom about an hour in, and this is very unusual for me (after a lifetime of enthusiasm about movies, this and Jean-Luc Goddards "Weekend" are the only movies I've ever walked out of).
Does anything ever actually happen? Other than a lot of pretentious yakking?
(Contrariwise I loved the Soderburgh version.)
What's sad about it for me is that I love the actual story that takes place. But in order to observe the story, you have to sit through a ton of wasted time. Tarkovsky could have conveyed the proper mood while STILL lopping off about 40 minutes of silence. It had a chance to be a masterpiece, in my book, but the pacing is a gargantuan turn off.
But, whatever floats people's boats.
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I find it compelling. Mostly because of the slow, unreal and depressive atmosphere. It's almost like experiencing psychosis in slow-motion. When it's over everything seems so surreal and as reality slowly sinks in again you almost feel relieved.
That said; I completely understand people who didn't like it. While I think the visuals add to the unwelcome atmosphere, it is true that it doesn't really hold up. The acting also helps the depressive mood but it's not because the acting is good. It's rather stale, and the story is about as expressive as you can expect from a movie made under the eyes of an oppressive regime. That doesn't mean there aren't any themes in the movie though. Much like Stalker.
The movie feels "slow" to many of us because our movies today are scripted and shot and edited differently than AT's movies. He let the scenes and sounds, as well as the action of the people involved, speak to us in his movies. Russian movies at that time in general were also not edited as much as in the west to have all action, all the time.
The film provokes many ideas and thoughts about various subjects in many viewers, and yes, things happen - very consequential things. For me, the slow, ruminative buildup to the action at the end adds to the enjoyment and impact of the ending. It allows us to absorb and think a little about what we are seeing as we are seeing it. It also allows the action to unfold in a more realistic way, as in real life we don't see people doing consequential things and taking action all the time.
My real name is Jeff
After a billion distractions I finally made it through the whole movie, good thing I was just having a day to kill, otherwise I would have regretted all the wasted life gone into watching this. Not that the story is bad, it is just that the movie is the slowest ever *beep* slow-ass movie made ever.
IT takes 40+ mins for him to just get to the goddamn space station, in some scene he's in a car thinking, in silence, you just see his face while he is thinking hahah most slow paced movie ever! so totally different to a YouTube video where if you don't get to the point in 30 seconds, you will have lost 90% of your audience.
I suffered all the way through it just to check it off my list. It was long, slow, dull, boring, incomprehensible, and pretentious, a real turd. And yes stuff happens but it's dull, boring and incomprehensible.
His movie "Stalker" was even more so.
Schrodinger's cat walks into a bar, and / or doesn't.