Strange Days has a lot of things going for it. It uses a extremely interesting plot device: virtual reality as brainwaves, recorded from one person and experienced by another. It uses great set and costume design to portray New Year's Eve 1999 (back then five years into the not-so-distant future). It uses good actors, most notably Ralph Fiennes and Angela Bassett. And it has quite the encompassing story arc, encompassing cultural unrest, social justice, political accountability, moral obligations, and redemption. It's full of interesting and important ideas.
And it tacks them together with incoherence, over-the-top dialogue and acting, and an ending that goes on almost fifteen minutes too long. I own this movie, and at one time I thought it was an overlooked sci-fi cult classic, destined to be remembered in the years to come. When I watched it today, I thought that it was a waste of potential, a waste of talent, and a waste of my time. I'm going to be very generous with my ranking, because it could have been so much better; the ranking reflects its wasted potential and its omnipresent style. 5/10
And it tacks them together with incoherence, over-the-top dialogue and acting, and an ending that goes on almost fifteen minutes too long. I own this movie, and at one time I thought it was an overlooked sci-fi cult classic, destined to be remembered in the years to come. When I watched it today, I thought that it was a waste of potential, a waste of talent, and a waste of my time. I'm going to be very generous with my ranking, because it could have been so much better; the ranking reflects its wasted potential and its omnipresent style. 5/10