Rotten Tomatoes critics and audience-goers on average have given *Searching* a 92% and 97%, respectively.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from a movie that takes place on a computer screen, but from the first scene to closing scene I was impressed.
The first few minutes of the movie are exquisite. We see photos and videos of Margot, the missing daughter, from her toddler years to her graduation from high school. Interspersed throughout the scene we see Margot’s mother (who is now deceased), and the obvious love she had for her daughter. The poignancy this scene evoked stayed with me throughout the movie.
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Since I see so many movies, rarely am I completely surprised by the ending, however Searching presented a plot twist that most certainly will leave you thinking about this movie for some time.
Over this holiday weekend, I recommend taking the time to get out of the heat and into a nice cool theater to see an extraordinary movie.
Grade: A-
About the Peetimes: Searching is an intense movie, with most of it taking place on a computer screen. This made getting Peetimes a bit hard, because for a great deal of the movie there’s no dialog, just a montage of videos and photos going by quickly on the computer.
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Skeezix
The movie “Searching” was done entirely through a computer screen. While this was initially innovative, it got old really fast–like about 10 minutes into the show. Moreover, it doesn’t allow the viewer to get to know the characters, or care about them. It turns them into a series of animated photographs with no personality instead of real people.
The computer stuff should have been drastically limited and used just enough to show that the protagonist used his electronic devices to find his missing daughter. The rest of the movie should have been filmed conventionally. All I can say is I hope this kind of thing doesn’t become a trend.
This movie gets a D+ grade from me because of the format. I did stick it out but seriously considered leaving mid-way through.
polyGeek Administrator
This is a completely new genre. Personally, it’s one I hope doesn’t catch on. But, since it’s cheap as hell to make these movies there’s little risk from an investment standpoint that a movie like this won’t make a little money, so we’re probably stuck with them. Maybe a few will be good.
Jill Florio Administrator
I agree; I hope it doesn’t become a thing. I mean, for one movie it’s a really good gimmick. I’d see this just to watch how it’s made. It’s like the “found footage” thing that began with The Blair Witch Project. And yeah, it’s probably absurdly cheap to film.
David Baker
I agree that it is a great twist, unique and clever new trick/device that I really enjoyed. (But I also do not need to see many more done like this.)
No spoilers here (and I know picking times is hard), but in retrospect, I wish I had *seen* the dialog of the 1st peetime.
(Thanks for years of great service, RunPee’ers!)
polyGeek Administrator
Hey David, was that the dialog of the 1st, or the 2nd, Peetime cue? The first is: When Vick says to David, “I’m sorry it was another dead end.” Does that give something away?
David Baker
Hi, thanks. I’m not complaining; the cue was fine, the summary of what I missed during the 1st Peetime was great. But after the movie, I was thinking about the potential clues that may or may not have been in the movie (mostly not!) and I am curious about how Vick’s story was delivered in that scene (and if it gave anything away).
I guess it is kind of like those non-stop action movies; I don’t know how you can ever find a time in this movie to “step out” without possibly missing something interesting!