I’d seen the trailer for Downsizing many times and wasn’t really sure what I would be getting when I checked out the film at Cineworld‘s January Unlimited Screening.
Downsizing starts when scientists discover how to shrink humans to five inches tall as part of a solution to the world’s overpopulation, Paul (played by Matt Damon) and his wife Audrey (played by Kristen Wiig) decide to abandon their stressed lives in order to get small and move to a new downsized community – a choice that triggers life-changing adventures.
So we start as the with an introduction to the scientist testing out the Downsizing, then we are introduced to the first to be shrunk. When we first meet Paul, he is looking after his mother a task which has taken up much of his life and has made him make decisions in life.
We then jump along a few years to the time that Paul is now married to Audrey and life still isn’t as good as he would have hoped. After the couple visits LeisureLand hey decide to Downsize and start a new life together, after all the little money they have is worth so much more when then reduce themselves to five inches tall, but as with most of Paul’s decisions, not everything goes to plan.
Downsizing isn’t an effect-laden film as you would think from the trailer, it seems like any other movie, there are several memorable moments, such as Christoph Waltz‘s character, Dusan Mirkovic, who lives upstairs from Paul, Waltz’s character certainly brings some comedic moments to the film to lighten it up when needed. Joining Waltz is Udo Kier who plays Konrad who both visit the original Downsizing team in Norway from time to time.
When Paul meets Ngoc Lan Tran (played by Hong Chau) his life starts to take another journey in the small world as he helps her and those that she helps, in turn, this leads to so many more discoveries.
Downsizing is a peculiar film, I’m still not sure as to my full feeling towards the film, with its message of the world needs to change and is it too late to change, I found it somewhat strange. The first part of the film with the life as we are introduced to the Downsizing and the new life that Paul is starting looks good, it’s crisp and clean looking. As the second part and the last part of the film comes along the film takes a change in a direction somewhat and I did find myself enjoying these sections less.
The comedic moments in the film certainly helped it along, but the film certainly seems to miss out on something that I couldn’t really put my finger on, it’s not that I didn’t enjoy Downsizing, I laughed out fairly loud along with the rest of the audience at many pieces, but as I mention earlier the last part of the film just didn’t work as well as the first part of the film.
It’s not to say that director, Alexander Payne, hasn’t done a good job, he has done a good job directing a great cast, but personally, I think it just needed a little something else to make the movie a little more interesting than it is.
Downsizing was reviewed on the 10th January 2018, the movie is out on May 28, 2018 (DVD, Blu-ray™) / Download & Keep and to Rent on Digital May 28, 2018
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.