Poor Things

Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, Poor Things follows the larger-than-life exploits of a recently-reanimated woman (Emma Stone’s Bella Baxter) as she embarks on a journey of self-discovery. Filmmaker Lanthimos, armed with Tony McNamara’s screenplay, delivers a thoroughly oddball endeavor that does, for the most part, fare much better than one might’ve anticipated, as the movie boasts a tremendously eye-catching (and frequently hypnotic) visual sensibility that’s matched by Stone’s captivating, go-for-broke performance – with the actress’ striking work here certainly matched by such top-notch costars as Willem Dafoe and Mark Ruffalo. (The latter, cast as a pompous Lothario, offers up a scene-stealing turn that remains an ongoing highlight within the erratic proceedings, to be sure.) It’s clear, then, that Poor Things‘ overall impact is dulled significantly by an increasingly (and palpably) overlong running time, as the movie does begin to seriously run out of steam once it progresses into a padded-out and somewhat anticlimactic third act – which, despite a satisfying finale, ultimately cements the picture’s place as a better-than-expected yet distressingly hit-and-miss endeavor that feels like it could (and should) be better.

**1/2 out of ****