Poor Things - Review 

Just thinking of Mark Ruffalo's performance makes me laugh uncontrollably

I read the book in high school. I still think it's disrespectful that they changed the characters from Scottish to English, and the main setting from Glasgow to London. The whole book (and Alasdair Gray's work in general) is about Scottish culture being lost within the British empire at the time. Yorgos even got a tour of Glasgow from the author before he died. Its annoying how no media outlet has touched on it

How ironic.... Or coincidental! Whenever I see that "thinking deeply" face Dan makes in the thumbnail, I literally would think "Poor thing, Dan is conflicted!"

I'm so glad you brought the Barbie parallels. I felt Poor Things referred to the themes in a far more deep way, compared to Barbie. I liked Barbie, but Poor Things was fantastic

This is the best and most respectful review of this film and Lanthimos as a film maker. That paradox of "distance from and closeness to" humanity in Lanthimos' perspective is spot on. Well done! ❣️

I really like "The Lobster", so - when it finally hits Denmark - I'll be seeing "Poor Things" at the theater. What a cast, by the way.

I didn’t pick up on the parallels between Poor Things and Barbie until you mentioned it. Great comparison! It’s refreshing when a movie can make social commentary without beating us over the head with it.

Watched some from Mark and it was funny as he said the first day of shooting the director stopped him and asked him what he was doing. Apparently he turned things up once the camera started rolling and the director had to help him get more comfortable by reminding him he already did this in rehersal and he didn't need to 'perform for the camera'. Just reshot everything from the first day once he got relaxed and into the character again.

From what I've heard, it is way too sexual for me. Which is weird given that the main character begins by having the brain of a child

This movie was a delicious feast for the eyes, the dialogue was elegant yet crude which was hilarious to listen to, and the overall story coupled with the score felt cathartic and I loved all of it!!

I saw a review for Poor Things calling it "Barbie for the mentally ill" and I agree. I loved this movie and do think it's ten times better than Barbie.

Saw this yesterda. It was so original, so bizarre. It’s probably my favorite coming of age story in recent years.

The concept seems pretty creepy.

I had no idea what this was about from trailers and was waiting for your review. Thanks for the clarity the ads couldn’t provide!

Someone should mention Willem Defoe who made the audience chuckle with almost every line. Amazing actor and movie !

I have a feeling this is going to become another big study in the difference in “ male gaze” vs “ female gaze” of the same journey and why each one resonates with whom and why. Dan Almost got there .....

I love that you made the connection between Barbie and Poor Things. I walked out of the theater thinking this exact thought, Poor Things is what I was expecting Barbie to be. Excellent review !

I thought Dan was describing "Tangled" before he revealed that he was thinking about "Barbie" 😅

The Favourite was my best movie the year it came out, can’t wait for this to expand to more theaters

Georgos Lanthymos pring a unique art of filming, fantastic work - Emma and Georgos both must get Oscar on this

saw it at an early screening in October and really loved it, bought the book the next day and read it and liked that too, my only major criticism is about the removing of most Scottish stuff and that was made bigger once i read the book and how much of it is indulged in Scottish culture maybe that annoyed me because i am scottish but hey i still loved the film

Saw it , loved it…. Don’t miss this one! Give Emma another Oscar

After impressing me with 'The Favourite', I hope this is another Lanthamos movie I can get behind on.

I also made the Barbie correlation while watching. But where BARBIE hammers its message and pleads for validation, POOR THINGS lets you take the journey and draw your own conclusions. Bella isn't out to prove or solve anything.She is provoked solely by curiosity and self-interest. She is not trying to define what a woman is, because any definition would only serve to limit her. Whether men or women agree with her is of no matter..POOR THINGS is the far superiror Feminist film..

The basic premise sounds like 5th Element

Just watched this yesterday and really enjoyed it! The sets and costumes were especially gorgeous, the steampunk-esque mix of historical and futurism along with the saturated colors made for some stunning shots. The dynamic camerawork with every movement accompanied by a shift in the music also made for a fun experience. Bella herself is a delightful character and I think everyone freaking out about her having sex needs to calm down... for me personally it was nice to see her unabashedly enjoy sex and explore it with her own agency. And this is probably the most I've ever enjoyed Mark Ruffalo in a movie.

my comparison baseline was poor things vs frankenstein. F= ugly male, abandoned by creator. PT = attractive female, "nurtured" by creator. in my opinion, those 2 core differences result in dramatically different stories, with significantly different results for the creature.

Yes! I’m so glad you compared it to Barbie in terms of themes and character development. I was thinking the same thing but hadn’t seen any reviewers make that comparison.

Huh. This movie almost feels like it's the film version of the tabletop roleplaying game My Life With Master. Looks freaking great! Thanks for your review, Dan!

It mostly sounds cool but the 'born sexy yesterday' trope is something i'm not a fan of and there are a couple of things mentioned here that makes me think this film has it... maybe i'll check it out anyway.

Was looking forward to seeing and now I want to see it even more.

Absolutely loved the film. Strange, absurd and brillant.

I've never seen The Favorite but I already bought tickets for next Friday and accurately on IMDB there's a Young Frankenstein vibe and on the trailer when she says "I'm gonna punch that baby" I laugh so much that I'm going to see it unlike Aquaman 2 which maybe not interested to see it

This movie has been on my radar since I first heard about it. I can’t wait for it to come out around here. It’s a must see for me.

For me it’s one of those movies that’s “20 minutes too long” but also falls into the “what would you cut out though?” category.

HAS NOBODY REALIZE THIS MOVIE HAS A GROWN WOMAN WOTH A CHILD'S MIND BEING TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF BY A BUNCH OF GROWN MEN... HELLO. Where's the Special Victims Unit when U need 'em?

This sounds like a rather decent flick. It looks visually amazing as well

I just watched it today. I definitely had to get used to its uniqueness in the first 10 minutes or so but I was on board after that. I definitely caught the Barbie parallels a bit later in the movie but I think it was because it was more subtle about the discussion on different philosophies rather than saying it outright as the punchline. I think this made my top 10.

Cant wait for the Barbie and Poor things video essay comparison someone will inevitably do.

Great review !

Dan Thank you for posting.

Dan are you planning on watching/reviewing iron claw?

It reminded me of the theatrical play "Orphans" by Lyle Kessler. Phillip's character.

Just wanted to say I’ve subscribed to this channel, enjoyed your review 👍

Just got out from seeing this film. It was definitely an experience. I loved Yorgos Lanthimos last film, the favourite, but this is something else. The performances were fantastic, especially Ruffalo and Stone. Emma Stone is definitely the front runner for the Oscar (maybe Lily Gladstone if she is in lead and not supporting)

Waiting to see this movie. Hope it comes around to my theater.

The Multiverse of Barbie and Ken are Real!

I loved both this and Barbie. I'm grateful for these stories.

My granddaughters can watch Barbie (ages around 5) and get the sense of empowerment that is there all while they are young and growing in their life awareness- however Poor Things is primarily for adults. I am sure I will love Poor Things but doubt I will appreciate it more than Barbie as I watch the world my girls are in and am so thankful for a movie they can enjoy and learn from now. Appreciate all your work!

Just got back from watching this at the theater (I saw it one of the “indie” theaters that you had shouted out in a video so thank you for the recommendation), and I absolutely loved it. This may be my favorite movie of the year (between this and Oppenheimer for now, but I still have a lot to catch up on). Your Barbie comparison is so spot on, and I felt similarly as you did to about that movie. Maybe poor things should market themselves as the “artsy Barbie” to see if that can drum up public interest. Regarding poor things, I loved everything about it, but I particularly loved the fantastical look of the scenery, the score, the performances, and, most of all, I was surprised at how much this movie made me laugh. Genuinely, one of the funniest movies of the year, and I was not expecting that

Eh, I don't see the Ken comparison to Ruffalo's character. Ken was just an accessory and taken for granted from the jump. He was dumb and naive, because he wasn't supposed to overshadow Barbie. This is more like what could've been negative evolution of Will Ferrell's character.

I just got done watching Poor Things because it arrived in our cinemas here in the Philippines just this week. And when you gave that Barbie and Poor Things parallel, my mind was blown. Wow. This is the reason why you’re my favorite critic.

Looks like its kinda like a Terry Gilliam sort of vision.

Finally got a chance to see it. I enjoyed it alot. Loved e,ma stone performance as bella. Mark rufallo is hilarious in the movie.

Through your description I thought for sure you'd compare poor things with tangled instead of barbie. I guess its a common plot

Watched Poor Things with my teenage daughter, aftre she was little shocked i couldn't stop laughing 😂

FINALLY saw this movie about a week ago and I essentially said to myself in the scene where Bella is seeing the atrocities of the poor that Poor Things is essentially Barbie by Tim Burton. I only give Barbie the slightest of edges over this movie BECAUSE it ran a bit long. But my God, do I love this BOLD & beautiful movie!

I look forward to checking this movie out

@05:52 LOL, I thought of the same word, petulant!

The music was together and recognizable, as music, towards the latter part of the movie as Bella became socialized and her speaking and vocabulary matured. The "music" before was cacouphony, disjointed and more of an effect made by a musical instrument. Bella's brain was learning, immature and incapable of organized, melodic "music". The music showed her development.

Fully agree with the Barbie thing. I have the same thoughts. Barbie is the product of feminist activists with artistic inclines. They set up an artistic canvas to project their poster and manifesto on and they made up a "story" so people would go into cinemas and watch them yelling their war cry, also explain their laments and hardships with very simple words for very stupid and simple people, just to make sure they get it too. "Poor thing" is the product of true artists, with artistic vision and a multi-layer story with lots of emotions, parallels, metaphors. It does not nurture covert or overt political and social agenda. It does not aim to a make everyone like it or even get it. It is obviously not for kindergarten kids. Also not in terms of mental capabilities. "Poor things"-s level of artistic quality is what the subject women's independence, growth, intellectual freedom and worth deserves.

I hope I’m on this movie’s frequency, seeing it tomorrow!

Loved it. Love Yorgos Lanthimos. The film was funnier than I expected. All the actors, even in the small parts like Christopher Abbott, the older woman on the boat, and the madam at the Paris brothel, are fabulous. Plus, the art direction, look, and sound design (as you mention) are fantastic.

You’re the man,Dan!

Great pronunciation of my fellow Greek's name

So annoyed that it doesn’t come out till next year in the U.K. 😢

Dan what’s your thoughts on Yorgos’ masterpiece Dogtooth?

Like Everything Everywhere All At Once last year, Poor Things is the most original and daringly out there movie of this year. I agree that this is Emma Stone's best ever performance. Ruffalo is good but not as great as in You Can Count on Me and The Kids Are All Right, and Ramy Youssef should be getting a lot more plaudits. Poor Things is visually dazzling in both cinematography and production design. Out of about 60 new releases seen, this is the best movie of the year for me.

Mark Ruffalo is brilliant and hilarious in this film! And Emma stone is impressive!

Poor Things also sounds like the movie Penelope with Christina Ricci and James Macavoy

I absolutely loved poor things and I was really surprised because I didn't like The Lobster, which in turn put me off most of Jorgas's movies.

Thanks for the video Dan, it sounds like an interesting film, though perhaps not my taste.

I could never see The Lobster, knowing that animals were abused and worse during filming. Animals have no voice so we must speak up for them. I don't understand why more people don't understand this point of view.

Out of pure curiosity, I watched Poor Things today. Oh man! This was painful to watch…I don’t know who was this movie made for, but it’s definitely not for me. In fact, it’s arguably, in my top 5 worst movies of all time 😂

This is a film from 2023 that I would like to see

I mean I really don’t think this movie is that subtle. I think it’s actually more baroque with it’s messaging than Barbie is at times.

The funny thing is that I am planning on seeing this movie with my mom.

If she had evolved like a normal child there may have been more than her nymphomania to focus on instead she evolves like a AI Robot. Her character simply didn't developed into maturity which caused the film to go nowhere emotionally without any dramatic fulfilling narrative of conflict resolution. Glossy & fascinating visually, Interesting dark premise & concept with wonderful cast and acting, but a bit weak in terms of narrative intrigue and dramatic intensity that resolved or without any of the orgasmic pleasure & climaxes like those she enjoyed throughout the film! And why no sexual desires for her most humane & honest encounter, the Black guy? LOL! I just left the theater without feeling any lasting "emotional" impact & felt just as COLD AS SHE WAS towards most everyone and everything. After a while a child's brain becomes self-conscious about their social actions and that goat was just silly. SMH. Her 2 dimensional evolution didn't evolve the story. Nothing deep about this film. Just pretty filmmaking & surface bling. This was no brilliantly written, Terry Gilliam or Guillermo Del Toro cinematic gem

My sister went with my dad and they were pretty horrified lol. My sister said it was basically soft core porn which made it really awkward.

I love ya, Dan, and I am super glad you're enjoying this director's work. I have really struggled watching his movies. I didn't really know much about either The Killing of a Sacred Deer or The Lobster before a couple years ago. I watch the former, and...I thought it was really terrible. Then I started hearing from you and others in your circle, and was shocked at how much you all seemed to like it. I never ended up trying The Lobster because of how that first one struck me. So, my question is this: If I really disliked Killing of a Sacred Deer, is there any real shot I will like The Lobster, or this new movie in Poor Things? I hear you and your peers talk so highly of them that I want to like them. I just am not sure if I am the right audience, if the style from Killing of a Sacred Deer is just this director's style.

Anyone else notice that the fish in Baxter's aquarium were the same breed as Gill (Dafoe) in Finding Nemo?

You should do a video on the FSU CFP snub 😅

Well said..

I enjoyed your analysis of this great movie. Regards from Ruthless Reviews.

Poor Things was good, but a bit weird. The sex was a bit much, but brief so I was ok with it. This or The Holdovers should win best picture. Overall, the last two years have not been great Oscars wise. CODA was the last great Oscar year.

Accurate review to say the least.

I'm always waiting for Dan Murrell's reviews, they are so mathematical. He peels off the layers of the movie, one by one, and I like to watch, even when I don't agree with him (for example, Maestro - I thought it was a superficial mess).

An interesting film; i agree about comparisons to Barbie; this film seems to be more on-target though some may be put off by the Cronenberg-esque grotesque elements and the overt sexuality. But there is a point to these aspects, mostly through an ironic comical sensbility. The intimacy of Bella's discovery and use of her sexuality is not exploitive; she regards herself and her experiences with text book detachment. Mind-boggling realization of a specific vision.

Poor Things is more than an anti-feminist or anti-hollywood film. Like Barbie, this film is a creation film. In this film we see ourselves, the Frankenstein monsters -- a creation of a neurotic ego formed by a surreal, techno-industrial mass-society. This film symbolizes, through the surgical re-construction of Bella's child-brain/mother-body, the devastating psycho-drama of the modern mother-child disconnect and its inevitable psycho-pathology.

Boyfriend and I watched this movie on Christmas day. Theater was packed. It was definitely am interesting watch lol

This is my favorite film for the year.

I myself, after watching the film, came up with the summarizing soundbite that "it is The Barbie Movie for grown ups", mainly to slyly point out how juvenile The Barbie Movie is! But here is a suggestion, that actually illustrates why Poor Things works as a feminist film and Barbie doesn't: the analagous character to Bella in Barbie is not Barbie; it's Ken! Ken was created to be an accessory to Barbie in the same way as Godwin made Bella to be a companion to himself, first off and then later assigns her to Candles. They are both naive and childlike characters. However Bella is tempted away by the cad character just as Ken is tempted by the book in the library, both of which offer a limited liberation from their pre-ordained function and immediate gratification. This leads to Ken sampling many Barbies, just as Bella (once she relinquishes herself from the cad's clutches) samples many men. The only real difference is Barbie manages to put Ken back into his box; no one manages to rebox Bella. The essential problem with Barbie trying to be a feminist movie is there is no patriarchy; not in the intial setting Barbieland which is designed around her, so is a Barbiarchy, nor really in the real world where it is claimed to be, and in which Barbie actually chooses over Barbieland anyway. Setting a feminist movie in a world absent of patriarchy is like having A Batman movie in which he keeps referencing the Joker, and says things like "I smell the joker's hand behind this" and "it could only be one villain in Gotham, Robin: the Joker!" but the Joker never turns up.

What a terrible movie. Over sexualized and kind of nasty, to be honest. They just made it as weird of a movie as possible and added as much sex and nudity as possible. It's sad that this movie was awarded.

I had the same thoughts about it and Barbie while watching it. I really hope Poor Things gets the recognition it deserves. I think it's not only better at the messaging than Barbie but also funnier and more creative.

Barbie is Pinocchio

I don't know if this is blasfemia or not, but Dan Murrel is as good as a film critic as Ebert was. The way he brakes down a film, going through the emotions of it while at the same time highlighting the ups and downs, paints a perfect picture of any film and makes you feel more curious by those movies you were curious about; makes you feel interested by those films you would never seen or wanted to hear about, and makes you feel more excited about those you were excited already. He is as impartial as he can be, and he loves everything it is to love about the art of filmmaking, making us cinema lovers proud that someone like us can reach this level of insight, wisdom and professionalism. You sir have become my favorite movie critic!

"Poor Things is Barbie" Also, Edward Scissorhands

“It’s a very very unique perspective” Almost like an autistic perspective 😅. To me, he makes the most sense. The Lobster basically describes what it’s like to date now a days.

When the film started.. I wasn't sure if I was gonna like it.. I ended up loving it ! Such a quirky, yet beautiful film.

I liked it and really vibed with the look and aesthetics but was a bit put off by the amount of sex in the movie. I’m no prude and don’t mind sex in a movie, especially when it serves a purpose, which it does here. Sexual discovery is an important part of the human experience and I’m glad it was included in the film. It was just the amount that was included really had me rolling my eyes after a while. I feel like 40+ minutes of this movie is just explicit sex scenes and then a lot of the dialogue revolves around talking about sex. The human experience does include more than explicit sex and I wish they had used at least some of those explicit scenes to touch on some other ideas, for example the erasure of Scottish heritage, which was an important part of the book.