Matcollis
This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.
CrawlerChunky
In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.
Lucia Ayala
It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.
deelyjj
I always love to watch tightly directed, well-acted, thought-provoking movies that transport me away from my normal life. I go to the movies to be challenged, make connections with characters and, most of all, become emotionally involved. Given these prerequisites, I often leave the movie theater dissatisfied with one element or another. Not so with The Changeover. Erana James and Timothy Spall (and the entire cast actually) engaged my attention to such a degree I almost forgot I was watching a movie. Broken-vein close-ups of Carmody (Timothy Spall) while professing his dastardly innocence gave me the creeps - wonderful thrilling creeps, but at the same time I sort of almost believed he was the simple, harmless good guy he feigned. (I like it when movies play with your mind.) Furthermore, I was so absorbed in the love Laura (Erana James) had for her brother that I found the extreme measures she went to in order to save him completely normal.I also liked the way the cheerless post-earthquake setting juxtaposed with the beauty of things like the huge moons and water scenery. There were many other special touches including art and imagery. Yes, unbelievably for me, this is a rave.
ambermc-19143
Margaret Mahy's young adult novel THE CHANGEOVER was a central text in my teenage years. I loved it as a bildungsroman that was laden with both mystery and romance, intertwining the supernatural with the ordinary life of a girl in my own country, New Zealand. Thus I approached the film version with some trepidation - what if the movie didn't catch the essence of that beloved tale?I need not have worried. THE CHANGEOVER is a terrific film: spooky and atmospheric, well-paced and beautifully shot. It does not slavishly adhere to Mahy's text, but makes changes that add drama and ambiguity, giving the story additional texture and emotional resonance. The Christchurch location is inspired; the story plays out in a place that needs no special effects to look desolate or threatening as required. The young actors in the lead roles are terrific, and the supporting cast are likewise strong. Timothy Spall's spooky stranger will haunt your dreams... Yet the film also manages to contain humour and humanity, never 'trying too hard' to achieve its effect. Director Miranda Harcourt and her crew have a light touch with some heavy subject matter, and the film rises like a bubble above the usual predictable jump-scares of many spooky stories. THE CHANGEOVER is a tribute to Mahy's original novel, but it is also a great movie in its own right. Huge congratulations to all involved. Highly recommended.
anniwatkins
If I had to pick one, and only one thing about the movie, it would have to be cinematography. That movie was carried, emotionally, by stunningly skillful cinematography. The interaction between narrative and camera work was very close and very clever. It is worth seeing for the cinematography alone, but cinematography is not alone in making it worth seeing. It is magical. Magical realism. Totally believable, sensitively portraying the craft, but above all, simply, magical.Acting: You will love newcomer Erana James, and the chemistry between her and Nick Galitzine. But here I just want to pick out Timothy Spall for the fact that he can make you think, 'oh, come on, Carmody Braque's not so bad...' when you know full well that he is, he is that bad. Oh, and Lucy Lawless for command of silence. A big one, of course, for lovers of the book, is the screenplay. Yes, yes, yes, it absolutely had to be updated. It is a story about the craft in the now, so now it must be. This, I think, drove a lot of the decision making for the movie...? Of course it had to be Christchurch, the city is a character in the story. No, it is not 'the book' and I never expected it to be, nor should it be. It was tight, focused and tells the right story in the right way. What you experience is the emotional journey - a female story - told in emotional understanding and powerful imagery. OK, I am not a director and I don't know how to be one, but, like books and editors, I know when there has been one (or more)! The performances from the younger actors were surely created by the direction at least as much as by those actors themselves. That much is plain to see. What other magic was worked, I do not know, but I do know it was there from the result. And afterwards? What happened? I re-entered the world in a daze of sensitivity. Everything was hyper-real, every sound, every light ray, every colour, every sensation. I was.. in touch. Of course, it gradually faded, but I have not felt that alive in quite a while. Thank you.
nat-104
The Changeover has all the elements of a must-see classic, delivered in such an unusual, stylish and cinematic way that they take you completely by surprise. It had me on the edge of me seat at every turn, not just because of the powerful, unformulaic story-telling and jaw-dropping performances, but the sizzling sound-design, stunning visuals and heart-stopping climax(es). Miranda Harcourt and Stuart McKenzie have done Margaret Mahey's classic YA novel proud and shown the world that New Zealand film makers have that special something that needs to be seen to be believed.
