Climax

To those uninitiated into the cinematic world of Gaspar Noe, his work can either be a test of endurance or merely try ones patience while straining for a gratifying pay off. With his fifth film, this approach has not altered, but the pay off might just be what you expect from such a simple synopsis as Climax possesses.A dance troupe gather together for rehearsals on a cold winter’s night and end up drinking a sangria punch spiked with LSD.It’s as simple as that, but the results are rewarding depending on the strength of your nerve and whether you can let yourself be willingly taken into a downward spiral of chaos, madness, hedonism, violence, cruelty, anguish, panic and other distressed emotional states. While you traverse through those elements you can also use your skills of detection in determining who was responsible for setting in motion the events that engulf the characters.It takes it’s time at first, easing in and letting you get to know the various personalities, but when it kicks into gear, the leash is taken off and it’s allowed to run riot. Some will be entranced, while others bored beyond belief. What some may call pretentious, others will regard as a masterpiece. But one thing that cannot be denied is the commitment and integrity of Noe’s vision of man made hell. I personally relished it. I am not a great fan of dancing and dancers generally, so I was surprised that not only did I enjoy the dance scenes but also once the dancing ended and the descent began, I felt a great deal of empathy for some of the characters and their respective fates. Some were quite heartbreaking, and others made me feel anger, fear and pity for them.The soundtrack helped keep the momentum going with flourish, as did the camera work, cinematography and the performances of the cast. The whole experience was one that stayed with me long after I had watched it. It hasn’t the extremes of Noe’s ‘Irreversible’ but is still powerful enough to evoke a response, and thankfully it refrains from being a ponderous experience like the visually enticing ‘Enter The Void’ and the underwhelming ‘Love’. Instead, this is may very well be Noe’s best film experience to date, combining his visual flair, a great soundtrack and a cast willing to go the lengths that he demands for his vision.The Blu ray has plenty of extras that are more than worth watching, and provide insights into the making of the film and the soundtrack. Additionally there is an audio commentary by Noe himself, as well a documentary on his films, music videos and more.All in all a great package from Arrow, so if you are new to Noe this is a good place to start. For those familiar, this release is a treat to be treasured.

Watch with your teenage kids!

Starts off slow and quickly turns into mayhem. Great dancing. The soundtrack is perfect. Good looking cast. I assume given the plot of this movie think people who watch this movie have had a similar experience on a night out with naughty mates who spike the "punch" with ecstasy or LSD.

I love this film. I’ve watched it so many times. So surreal…

I would have been more entertained watching the paint dry. I can see what they were trying to do, but it was just a shambles—poor writing, bad scenery, and completely unrealistic.i cant see how anyone can give this more than one star.

I really can’t be bothered to write a lengthy review about this as so many others have, all I’ll say is I really enjoyed this piece of work and would say it’s my favourite Gaspar Noe picture to date, don’t be shy give it a try and draw your own conclusions, compared to his other pictures I found this a walk in the park, not too long and drawn out, Dancing is amazing too.

Boring, and doesn't deliver.

Definitive not for everyone. But i kinda loved it, it had lots of Gaspar Noé trademarks. Beautiful choreography in the dance segment. Heartpounding scenes leading up to the Climax. Maybe abit tame on the violence compared to earlier Gaspar movies. But its Well worth the time to experience.So buy it and Enjoy!