HITCHCOCK Review - Ayala Cinema Exclusive

Here's my review for the film "Hitchcock" starring Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren and Scarlett Johansson. It's exclusively screening in Ayala Malls Cinemas nationwide.

Read more after the cut.

Anthony Hopkins is cast as the master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock in this wonderfully devious film about one important part of the the master director's career, the inception and the creation of the film 'PSYCHO'. 

Hopkins knows his part and plays it to perfection for this movie. It's an exceptional piece of work they did with the prosthetic and the makeup for the film especially for Hopkins. But it's not just the outside that made it so damn convincing. Anthony Hopkins also made it so he looks really acts the part. It's these rare performances that makes you go "ohhhhh" when you see it. 


You can't go into the details of the movie without spoiling so much. But what I can say is that the film is definitely accessible regardless if you're a longtime Hitchcock fan or a newbie in the works of the Master of Suspense. If you still plan on seeing this with at list a bit of knowledge about the subject matter then all you simply have to do is familiarize yourself with this scene...



And yes even after this time, that musical score gives me the creeps. 

The star power in this movie is pretty rich. We've got Helen Mirren who plays the role of Alfred Hitchcock's wife Alma Reville. 

Mirren was pretty impressive in this one. She's a strong woman who knows what she wants and stands by her man; well kinda. You'll see why when you watch the movie. She does get have her moments onscreen which is nice. 

The younger ladies in the film Scarlett Johannson and Jessica Biel were also some nice eye candies here. Biel's role of Vera Miles here is hardly solid. She just flutters around every once in a while and then we completely forget about her until after the production for PSYCHO. Kinda disappointing on that part well because the girl can act if given the proper material. 

ScarJo on the other hand did not disappoint. Her role as Janet Leigh was fascinating and although the writing was a bit weak for her part we do see that she's one of the good guys in Hitchcock's POV. I wouldn't call ScarJo's acting here as bad again its all a matter of how the script was written. She does however look the part which was the kicker here. She even manages to replicate Leigh's shower scene to a certain extent.

 

Another element that you might find interesting in Hitchcock is the storytelling. The film directed by Sacha Gervasi follows a linear storytelling process. The fun bits however is when the story takes a whole turn by interspersing scenes which feature Hitchcock's mind taking shape as the infamous Ed Gein (played by Michael Wincott) in some key scenes. Oh and if you're a fan of people breaking the fourth wall, you'll be happy to know that there are several moments where Hopkin's Hitchcock breaks it. Keep your eyes filled for the opening.

Despite the topics touched of death and murder, the violence level is so low. Hurrah for that. 

Overall Hitchcock is a kind of film that you may want to catch if you want to see how a classic movie came to be. It's got humor and some redeeming factor but what you really should look out for are the key moments that made Psycho one of the suspense genre's crowning glories. 

Hopkins and Mirren totally kicked ass in this movie so did ScarJo. 

'Hitchcock' opens in theaters February 6 and will be exclusively in Ayala Malls Cinemas Glorietta 4, Greenbelt 3, Trinoma, Alabang Town Center, Market! Market!, Ayala Center Cebu, Marquee (Central Luzon), Abreeza (Davao), Harbor Point (Subic) and Centrio (Cagayan de Oro).