Poetry If you do not enjoy abstract or off-beat films do not bother with this one. Manage your expectations. I, however, am drawn to this sort of film. I like Aronofsky's early work, Lynch, Kubrick, Godard. This fits in well with all of these in both direction and concept. There is scant dialogue, no "action," a disjointed narrative that has more questions than answers, very creepy, and even the nudity is anything but sexy. So why do I love this film? It is beautifully directed. The themes are provocative and require you do participate in the story. You have to be awake to watch a film like this. It isn't passive, but active. Under the Skin is both a metaphor for the deepest parts of what makes us human both in body and in mind and the very "meat" that we are made of. Inside/outside, predator/prey, foreign/native, body/soul, - all of these are provoked and prodded in very uncomfortable ways. The end is disturbing and leaves you with a chilling feeling that does not go away. This is truly a film buff's kind of movie. It is art rather than entertainment. Glazer is brilliant and so is this remarkable film I will watch over and over to unpack its meaning.

A remarkable depiction of the struggle that consumes women. A beautiful exploration of the female mind. She is subjected to the torment of the male gaze as she tries to break free of the routine that man confines her to. An order without thought of meaning. Consumed by this idea of perfection in order to survive among the animals that pursuit her. The purpose to be objects of sexual desire. In desperation we seek to escape from the manipulation in order to tear through the outer-exterior to see what we really are... Alien, to the fabricated sexuality we are all prescribed... Burned by the reality of being.

Meh Some people say it's amazing others say it's horrible. The director obviously didn't make this movie thinking he would sell, because there is no way the general audience would understand it on the first go. Most of the movie I was confused as I didn't quite grasp everything. Eventually I did get the underlying message about the main characters struggle with becoming human like and I'm sure there's more underlying stuff but all in all I'm not going to watch it again to figure it out. Simply put it was boring

An amazingly disturbing portrayal of humanity This isn't the usual mundane commercial drivel ppl are used to.So it's best 2knw b4 watching that this is a cerebral-sci-fi film more than jus the classic sci-fi ppl r used2. Sum1 reviewed there were "no metaphors, no symbolism".... I wonder Wtf movie were u watching?? Bcuz this film is absolutely loaded w/them. Open Ur eyes ppl! U wana escape from reality, then dnt watch. But if wana think, WATCH IT bcuz it's an interpretation of our reality- displaying humanities faults& good qualities.

Reading the reviews this is clearly a love it or hate it movie. Since it is clearly cerebral vs. your typical Hollywood scare flick I'm seeing a lot of reviews by people who would say for instance, that Bergman's Seventh Seal is a POS. For me it was, well, different, but not really what I was hoping for - maybe something like a David Lynch movie, but this just didn't connect with me or come close to a work by Lynch. There was just so little going on that you could do anything but guess about. Maybe if I was in an altered state or suffering from some kind of psychosis I'd find a connection. PS. There is a lot of dialog that is just about unintelligible. I'm a native British English speaker and there's some really thick accents combined with poor sound quality that make it very challenging. It turns out that a bunch of scenes were filmed renegade style with non-actors and put in the movie later when those people gave consent. Obviously the audio equipment for those conversations was less than great.

Interesting. but not great. Alert! Spoiler review. The filmmaker missed a great opportunity to create an awesome horroerotica movie. The intent was not to create an erotic, sci-fi, or horror film. The genres are elements of the main intent which was to create a subtle and intriguing movie about self-awareness with a sexy alien machine with bad luck. The main character is a machine programed at the beginning of the film. It has handlers (motorcycle dudes). When it falls, something goes funky with it. It is constantly having realizations: 1) a mother, a father, and a stranger risk their lives in a tragic chain event initiated by a dog getting swallowed by the sea. The machine has an epiphany, but quickly reverts to harvest male humans for some unknown reason. 2) the machine encounters a deformed man. Here, the usual pre-programmed sexual interaction does not apply and the machine needs to prod deeper into human emotions to coax the victim. The threshold is introduced by the beauty of a shore welcoming a fog wave. This scene is followed by the final epiphany where the machine takes in the beauty around it amidst the fog. Eventually, the machine’s naive nature gets it in trouble as the handlers look for her.

Thinking mans Science Fiction A alien "machine" disguised as a beautiful women sent out to gather unsuspecting men for their "food" source. All goes a rye when it takes a fall on the street and messes up its delicate balance causing the creature to question what it is. It will force you to think as its not the normal western spoon fed movie. Scarlett Johansson plays the emotionless alien to a tee and says more with a twist of her head or smile on her lips than most all other actors around her. A solid SciFi drama.

I watched the whole thing. Tons of unneeded scenes that just make the film seem like it's a test of the viewers patience. It's like they had a runtime as a goal and added scenes to fluff out the beginning of the film. It's cheap and feels like theirs was two maybe three pages of dialog in the script, and the rest is just directors notes on how to film people wondering around on the streets. The film doesn't pick up until it has thirty or so minutes left. And still it just makes me feel like the artistic thought put into it isn't poetic. Instead, it's what seems likely and vague that will also seem out of place.

Introspective Abyss What is a film? What is a story? What is an ending? Under the Skin questions all these concepts normally associated with any motion picture of today. Even as I am writing this review I am thinking to myself, "What is a review?". What I am getting at is this, Under the Skin puts you on a ride of confusion, misunderstanding, and utter discomfort. However, the more it cuts to the core of you, the more emotion it invokes within oneself and the more questioning of your past, present, and future arise within. This movie isn't meant to be a glam-grim feature, but rather a film that drives question for the sake of question. Scarlett Johansson does a stellar job of portraying a character that's lost in a meaningless life. What is left? In terms of cinematography, I thought the director shot the picture with eye-capturing visuals which offered room for the audience to inhale the magnitude of each and every scene. Also, the audio work was fantastic, so be sure to watch this movie in a completely silent setting. Overall, while this film delivers on so many fronts, all in all it leaves one thinking, wondering and asking for more. That is why I am giving this movie 4 stars.

One of my favorite movies of 2014 Of course I should know better ("Surprise! People have different opinions from you!"), but I really can't get over some of the negative reviews here. I mean, heaven forbid a director would try to do something truly unique, to really push the boundaries of what science fiction can be. I often say that most movies are like reading a book and some special movies are more like listening to music. This movie is in the latter category, and if you're like me you'll probably want to "listen" to it again and again.

Unique, creative and odd You see Scarlett trolling for men in a van and leading them to their doom in some kind of alien indoor pool by enticing them to strip while they slowly sink into the floor. There are some beautiful images and an obvious love affair with the director and his crush on SJ. He might of been better off expanding some interesting scenes and left her nude routine and sexual awakening out of it. The ending is odd and pointless.

Second worst movie I have ever seen. I decided to give this movie a chance becuase i thought the reviews about how poetic it is made it seem great. But i should have listened to the bad reviews even though i love poetic movies. Scarlett Johanson is a great actor but this movie made me loose respect for he a little bit. She has nude scenes in this movie but for those celeberty obsessed people out there who decide to buy this movie simply because it shows off her body, IT IS NOT WORTH IT!!! This movie is warped and you have been warned!

I cannot believe I wasted my time watching this whole movie. What a piece of excrement. It is achingly slow, not like a normal slow movie, but so slow you start daydreaming and making grocery lists in your head. The plot is vague with only a few hints and no clarity. Why did Scarlett Johansen do this movie???

Visually great but story falls short The film is visually striking and Johansson is a hottie and looks sexy as hell in it. The premise is interesting an alien stalking & seducing these men for there skin. But by the second act the story just fizzles out & becomes unfocused & tedious to me. I get it that she's starting to have human emotions & it seemed like the director felt this "revelation" would substain and carry the rest of the movie but it doesn't. If you like art house type film's strong visuals you're probably dig this.

Under the skin. As soon as I saw the steering wheel on the wrong side I knew I made a mistake..I think it's irish. The same plot less boredom as a British flick. I was desperate for something to watch and jumped at this without reading the reviews. I'm going to just sit and think up my own movie in my head, it'll be much better.

Yay That's a very good question. Scarlett Johansson plays a mysterious woman who drives around the Scottish countryside looking for male hitchhikers. To reveal more would be a disservice to the movie... and difficult, since this atmospheric science-fiction film is open to interpretation. Director Jonathan Glazer's very, very loose adaptation of the Michel Faber novel is disturbing and sexy. Plus, they used hidden cameras to film Johansson luring clueless hitchhikers into her big white van.

Convoluted Story for a Linear Plot While this movie of self-discovery is undoubtably a mess all around, it's actually a pretty simple message. "Beauty is only skin deep." At least that's what I gathered. Except, the director decided to show it in a series of painfully repetitive scenes that leaves the viewer wondering what the hell is going on.

Has some merits I'm torn between whether this movie develops the characters emotionally better than it provided an air of other worldliness. I feel like the emotions in the final scene were only a product of the previous 3 scenes. Either way, the 2001-esque soundtrack and visuals did keep me interested. I would have liked it to last a bit longer, but the abrupt ending left me in a mix of emotions, which is a good thing I guess. Would recommend if you have a night by yourself, and if you have a good sound system.

It's SciFi. Real SciFi. If you didn't like 2001 A Space Odyssey you're probably not liking or getting this one. Very little dialogue or explanation, but plenty going on. My take is an alien species is up to no good and planning something very bad for us. They use human skins to walk among us. ScarJo is tasked with getting skins but develops a conscience. So you're supposed to look deeply into what's there and think about what's not being said or shown. Wife fell asleep, I liked it, but I also read plenty Arthur C. Clarke.

Horrible....... Movie was BLAH.......... I like the fact that they used real people and the only actor/actress was Scarlett Johansson, just very boring. No action, nothing. I still don't understand why she would have a naked scene in THIS movie. She could have picked a better movie to come out.

Weird Its hard to say I disliked the movie but from the weird sounds and the way the movie makes the watcher pay close attention bc majority of the movie I was purely "LOST".... You will have a few... Hold up moments, followed by a few " Wtf moments" and a finally... I'm not going to try and watch this movie again to figure it out! It was terribly put together but have fun trying to figure out the movie, besides the obvious!!

Can I get my wasted time back? OMG, honestly with Scarlette being in this movie I expected it to be waaaaaaayyyyy better. I cant even tell you what the point was! So horrible!!! The ending was the worst "ending" ever! It DOES NOT get better as it progresses!

Teri H This could have been a very good thrilling movie, but unfortunately spent way too much time focusing on her riding around Scotland looking for the men. If they had curbed some of the driving around and spent more time on her actual connection to humans it had much more potential. Also, it ended so abruptly after such slow building up to the finish. Very disappointed,

Don't judge this movie by the book This movie is not based on the book. It is inspired by it. This movie is a slow meditation on humanity. By watching an alien interact with humans, we see a glimpse of how humanity looks from the outside. The beautiful thing about this movie is how the concept of "humanity" is universal, as you see the introspection, and maybe regret, in the final scene. If you like quality (sci-fi) stories that allow you to think and infer meaning as you see fit, this one is for you. And Scarlett looks great with dark hair.

Nudity does not a movie make Scarlett is gorgeous, no doubt about it. But her nudity plus horrible screechy music, complete and utter lack of dialogue and plot does not add up to a movie. DO NOT RENT. Not scary. No plot. Art house SciFi sucks!

Too slow paced and deliberate It's more like 2.5 stars I give this movie. Scarlett johansson acting and the fact that she gets naked in it are the only reasons I give it that many. It's not a action movie. So if your looking for that don't bother.

WTF?! This movie is horrible. Saw it with 3 friends and afterwords we couldn't point out any subtext or meaning or symbolism in the entire thing. Maybe if I were tripping on acid or mushrooms I would enjoy it. Even glimpses of ScarJo's breasts don't make it worth seeing. That says a lot.

Don't waste your time on this one You'd have to be high on crack, meth, and extasy to enjoy this piece of crap. Wrong choice for Scarjo. Just awful and silent doesn't make it visionary lol.

Okay, let's just start by saying this film is not for everyone. Many people won't like how slow it is and many won't even understand the chronology of events. However, it's so unique, disturbing, beautiful (those single color rooms- how did they do the lighting,) and sincere. It is an art film so if you aren't versed with art film maybe skip it unless you are open minded and interested.

Art film supreme This movie would have been way better if I had read the book first. It's very difficult to understand what's happening. You get an idea but it's never explained in the story. +1 star for ScarJo. Like everyone else said, it's not for everyone. After reading about the story it made a lot more sense and I can appreciate the film. However, on it's own... No bueno.

Serious waste of time. A pointless, boring movie that made absolutely no sense whatsoever. I love good science fiction but this was not good no matter what genre it may have been classified in. A budget bin loser that if you pass it up you will have missed absolutely nothing.

Think for yourself, not because you're spoon fed Everybody who hates the movies because it didn't entertain them I would encourage you to question what qualifies as entertainment for you. If it involves others interpreting what you experience for you and telling you what you should think, I would definitely pass on this movie. If it involves deciding for yourself what something means, if anything, and being pushed to ask questions about yourself and the world around you, then this will be a great experience. A real movie.

simply put, amazing as others have said, this film is not for everyone. that doesn't mean it's not a great film! i went in with no expectations, simply following Scarlett's character around Scotland, trying to figure out who (or what) the hell she was. the score was beautiful, eerie and haunting, even otherworldly. the cinematography was also great. it's a shame very few people got to see it in theaters. Scarlett Johansson is now one of my favorite actresses, and i highly suggest people watch this with an open mind.

Nonsensical Having read the book this film is VERY loosely based on, I can't begin to tell you how truly awful this film is. Wait... let me try. Regardless of the whole "the book is always better than the movie" cliche, this movie would reek regardless of its source material. A forty five second shot of Johansson bringing a bite of cake up to her mouth says it all.

Complete and utter garbage. Pick this up on DVD, watched it and immediately threw it in the trash. This movie has nothing to say, which is evidenced by a near complete lack of dialogue. No redeeming qualities whatsoever. However, if you're the type who likes to grasp at meaningless, elitist, cinematic straws in order to feel more superior/enlighted than everyone else, you'll "love" this trainwreck.

Mesmerizing Art Don't go into this expecting a mainstream movie. This falls flatly within the art house world and is one of best movies or 2014. The plot comes secondary to the mood and experience of the film, which focuses on the terrifying experiences of a woman in a man's world. Beautiful, horrifying and sleek all describe this film in equal measure.

Just Lame! Sure there are one or two cool looking shots, but it's painfully slow and nothing really happens at all. Nothing really Sci-Fi at all about it. Just kinda felt like a stupid student art project. Wish I had my $3.99 back.

Worthy of a little extra thought This film is a richly composited commentary. Everything about the main character and her situation contributes to the overarching metaphor. At first, the striking and disjointed delivery might seem like tangential "art". You need only look under the skin.

Mind bender In my opinion the movie was a good mind workout. It makes me a little less desperate for just any bombshell i see, she could be an alien killer, ha ha then the eyeball scenes tripped me out!!!, I could feel my eye moving 2, true sci fi movie

Waste of time and money!! There's an old saying, if u only have half a brain, you better start using your body. Worse movie of the year!!!