Directed by: Rob Heydon
Screenplay by: Rob Heydon and Ben Tucker
Based on a book by: Irvine Welsh
Small drug smuggler from Scotland is trying to figure out his way through life until he meets beautiful girl from Canada who seeks a change after bad relationship she just got out of it.
OH, OH I HAVE NO IDEA WHY I WATCHED THIS MOVIE, NO CLUE WHATSOVER, AND THE TITLE CERTAINLY DOESN'T REVEAL THAT.
But in all seriousness, I bought Ecstasy around the time I had seen Trainspotting for the first time. I was browsing through movies and on the cover of Ecstasy it said "From the maker of Trainspotting". I liked Trainspotting, I liked Filth, so of course I was gonna by this gem since it was on sale.
When Ecstacy was made, the best known film based on Welsh's work that had came out was Trainspotting. Of course there were other projects, but those aren't that well known to us. Maybe people have heard of Acid House, but movies like Dockers? Has anyone heard of those, apart from the people who made them? Trainspotting's touch is so clear on Ecstasy. The very beginning has the same feeling to it. The main character Lloyd is talking about ecstasy in a narrating, monologue way. When certain important characters appear, their names are shown to us, just like in the beginning of Trainspotting. While I like Trainspotting, I'd rather not be watching a movie where the director thinks he's doing Trainspotting when he's not.
But luckily that's the beginning. Apart from drugs, Scotland and Welsh's charming text (and his face, briefly), there's nothing too similar in these stories.
The love story was somehow new to me. I have read only few novels by Welsh, but love and romance have never played such a major part in them. Welsh seems to be great at love stories too, which is something I couldn't have anticipated. But in the story two imperfect characters fall in love, and Lloyd's imperfection, addiction, creates a whole lot of trouble, but eventually it's clear they are going to be a great couple.
Have Welsh's characters ever been easily likeable? I don't think so. It's hard to like Lloyd when he's in debt and he knows he should get the money at a certain time, because the guy told him so, yet there he is, partying with his girlfriend. Get a grip! Also it's really frustrating in a good way (because you know you'r at least somewhat invested in the story) to watch this, because you start thinking if only. If only Lloyd had done this, if only Lloyd hadn't done that...
As always, I like how we get to learn about characters naturally, slowly, instead of getting a massive dump of info on us.
I liked this movie visually very much. It was very colourful, mostly because of the clubs, but on the other hand there was a lo of earthly colours, because it takes place in Edinburgh. It creates such a nice contrast.
I can't say Ecstasy was anything I expected, because I wasn't really expecting anything. It isn't on the same level with Trainspotting, but how could it be, when the only similarity is Scotland, drugs and Irvine Welsh. Partly it's hard to watch, because it's a bit slow and doesn't seem to go anywhere, but at the end it's a great story, worth reading, watching.
OH, OH I HAVE NO IDEA WHY I WATCHED THIS MOVIE, NO CLUE WHATSOVER, AND THE TITLE CERTAINLY DOESN'T REVEAL THAT.
But in all seriousness, I bought Ecstasy around the time I had seen Trainspotting for the first time. I was browsing through movies and on the cover of Ecstasy it said "From the maker of Trainspotting". I liked Trainspotting, I liked Filth, so of course I was gonna by this gem since it was on sale.
When Ecstacy was made, the best known film based on Welsh's work that had came out was Trainspotting. Of course there were other projects, but those aren't that well known to us. Maybe people have heard of Acid House, but movies like Dockers? Has anyone heard of those, apart from the people who made them? Trainspotting's touch is so clear on Ecstasy. The very beginning has the same feeling to it. The main character Lloyd is talking about ecstasy in a narrating, monologue way. When certain important characters appear, their names are shown to us, just like in the beginning of Trainspotting. While I like Trainspotting, I'd rather not be watching a movie where the director thinks he's doing Trainspotting when he's not.
But luckily that's the beginning. Apart from drugs, Scotland and Welsh's charming text (and his face, briefly), there's nothing too similar in these stories.
The love story was somehow new to me. I have read only few novels by Welsh, but love and romance have never played such a major part in them. Welsh seems to be great at love stories too, which is something I couldn't have anticipated. But in the story two imperfect characters fall in love, and Lloyd's imperfection, addiction, creates a whole lot of trouble, but eventually it's clear they are going to be a great couple.
Have Welsh's characters ever been easily likeable? I don't think so. It's hard to like Lloyd when he's in debt and he knows he should get the money at a certain time, because the guy told him so, yet there he is, partying with his girlfriend. Get a grip! Also it's really frustrating in a good way (because you know you'r at least somewhat invested in the story) to watch this, because you start thinking if only. If only Lloyd had done this, if only Lloyd hadn't done that...
As always, I like how we get to learn about characters naturally, slowly, instead of getting a massive dump of info on us.
I liked this movie visually very much. It was very colourful, mostly because of the clubs, but on the other hand there was a lo of earthly colours, because it takes place in Edinburgh. It creates such a nice contrast.
I can't say Ecstasy was anything I expected, because I wasn't really expecting anything. It isn't on the same level with Trainspotting, but how could it be, when the only similarity is Scotland, drugs and Irvine Welsh. Partly it's hard to watch, because it's a bit slow and doesn't seem to go anywhere, but at the end it's a great story, worth reading, watching.
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
8 / 10
No comments:
Post a Comment