Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Devil's Carnival (2012)

If you liked Repo: The Genetic Opera, then chances are you'll like The Devil's Carnival.  Unfortunately for me, I hated Repo.

Three people die and go to hell, which is represented by the Devil's Carnival.  They don't know where they are or how they got there, but each has arrived due to their sins.  The Devil tests them to see if they've learned anything, and each story line is based on an Aesop's Fable.

There are some good things about The Devil's Carnival.  It's only an hour long.  The make up, lighting, and sets are great, and the singers have good voices.

However, the main problem with it is that you will hear each tale three times.  First Satan reads it, then it is acted out, and finally the story is sung by the carnival folks.  Yes, I get it. I don't need to hear it again phrased in a different way.

Plus the songs are super annoying.  Often they are spoken rather than sung, and the music seems to meander and never follow any pattern.  It's kind of dissonant.  I found out after I watched it that it was a touring musical, which makes sense since it reminded me of a play rather than a movie.

Three of us watched it and none of us liked it.  We saw it on streaming Netflix and when it was time to rate it, one of my friends said we should give it an extra star for being short.  If that's part of your consideration for why it's good, that's doesn't say much for the movie.  If you like annoying, artsy musicals, then this is the film for you.

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