Norman (IV) (2019) User Reviews

Boring

[aroccklik · 3/10 · 24 April 2021]

The concept is decent enough and could have made a great 30 min episode of Black Mirrors or the Outer Limits. I kept waiting for it to get interesting with a plot twist or the action to pick up. But nope... 💤

Had potential.

[suzasailor · 3/10 · 3 February 2021]

Ok I'm happy to write the first review for this movie.

So essentially you have Norman, trapped in the present day trying to travel back to the future of 2085. The reasons he wants to travel back I won't spoil. But every time he has some sort of interaction with the outside world, people and such, he gets headaches and flashes from other times and places.

So I really wanted to like this movie a lot more but the lead actor just isn't good enough, its a mixed performances at best with some underacting and overacting. The most lively performance is the A. I. companion A. N. I. (which isn't a good sign that the A. I. has more personality than the lead) who comes in a third of the way in. Another problem is the stakes don't feel high so we the viewer are not as invested as we could be. The third act fails as well because of the tonal shift, it decides it wants to be a action movie with too many close ups of people shooting and not enough wide shots of the action, and the ending is kind of predictable. There are many shots of tea being poured, switches being turned on, rain on the siding of the house. Its a slow burning movie and has some big ideas but its not very well acted, written, and too slow to recommend. But its not a train wreck or horrible. Its just slow, pretentious and the lead actor/character has no personality for us to get behind or care why stuff is happening. It is competently directed and is a good looking film and I'm happy for the filmmaker being able to get his project realized after 9 years but its a watch and forget kind of movie unfortunately.

Missed opportunities and illogical

[andrewlaurence-45518 · 3/10 · 5 February 2021]

Let me start by saying I LOVE time travel movies. I have probably watched them all at least 3 times. The main things I demand in your basic time travel movie are;

• some kind of logic - eg. if you do this in the past, it does this in the future
• logical characters that make normal decisions. Not always sensible but at least understandable

Well I am afraid that this movie fails in BOTH these areas.

• let's start with the logic. What was the beginning all about? Other than the apple, this seems like a lot of time and money spent for nothing. Then the flashbacks (or flashforwards) - how did going out in the rain affect the future? I don't see the link. How did just opening the front door and making a woman think you are a complete wierdo change the future?

• next the decisions made by the characters. Wow, where do I start?

(SPOILER ALERT!!)

why did he shut down the AI but then keep it in a box and try to build the machine alone? why did he hate being in the past so much that he was going to kill himself but then get so emotional when he did get the chance to leave? how did he go from spending 4 years failing to build the machine to being able to build it in just 10 days? Was it the AI cos that makes my first point even more relevant. why did leaving the tap on make the house vibrate and why did this make him change his mind about killing himself and then to turn the AI back on? what happened when he went back to the future? what problems did the machine cause in the lab and why?

This film could have been so much better but it wasn't

Annoying bland nonsense.

[khunkrumark · 2/10 · 4 February 2021]

A manic depressive experiments with time travel with predictable results. Young chap mopes about the house feeling sorry for himself while arguing with an emotional computer. His interaction with a food delivery girl is just cringy. Save yourself the bother.

The cure for insomnia. VERY VERY VERY BORING

[firballblaze-69689 · 2/10 · 5 February 2021]

And all of the sudden, NOTHING HAPPENS!! ON TOP OF HORRIBLE MUSIC!

Suddenly nothing happened

[tvpresentations · 2/10 · 4 February 2021]

I gave it a 2, after all, it was shot in color. Perhaps the language should have been French, it has all those deep symbolic moments the viewer is supposed to absorb. sadly, I was only one third in when my fidgety twitching gave way to using the right arrow key on the video player. I'm not unsympathetic to Indies, some have been milestones in movie history. This will not be one of them.

Even the cast and crew reviewing here can't get it to a 6 of 10.

[sogoodlooking · 3/10 · 4 February 2021]

There's a lack of story here that's crippling. Who knows what's going on after 20 minutes---and you'll be unable to care.

A Polished, Slow Burn Indie.

[silkynoah · 10 April 2021]

It's easy to nitpick a B movie, especially one so limited by its available resources. However, I think the movie as a whole is impressive considering how modest the budget and resources were.

The movie is more of a character drama than a high sci-fi action movie. There is a lot of time spent watching Norman confront his demons and reflect on his invention. This may turn some people off but the cinematography and sound design are impressive enough that I was engaged throughout.

Towards the end we see more of the outside world and although it isn't long lived, the quality of the visual effects and action scenes really shine through here. Everything is polished and well shot in this regard.

It's not perfect, there are scenes where things feel a little too slow, acting is good but has its rough edges, plot could use a bit more direction, and other issues I'm sure others have pointed out.

As an amateur project though, I'm hard pressed to complain. I enjoyed my time watching this movie and I'm happy to see these guys finally get it distributed. The love that has gone into everything really shines!

Don't belief Bogus Reviews

[pietclausen · 1/10 · 4 February 2021]

This movie was made in 2019 and only released in 2021. The four reviews currently available compares with nothing in this movie. Sci-fi definitely not! Adventure non experienced. Thriller? Huh? Disgusting waste of time as nothing happens! The full plot line can be written in one short sentence!

if i can travel back in time so i would not watch this

[MR-Katt · 1/10 · 9 March 2021]

Everything in this movie is bad i wish i could give it 0 rating if there was a choice for that , the acting is totally horrible the script is worst and even the action shooting part won't give you any thrill all in all it's so bad and dont believe those high ratings reviews , some people getting paid to write this type of reviews it's a real job , this movie deserves to be thrown back in time and be forgotten

I had higher expectations, the story is dull

[metabuddy · 3/10 · 15 February 2021]

It was way too slow and boring. The only positive thing was cinematography - close up shots and all sorts of other things done with the camera, it looked professional. However, the script is awful, dialog is boring and actors are, well, pretending to act, they aren't playing their characters. I really wanted to like this movie, since Primer, which is also a low-budget time travel movie was everything I was hoping for.

Producers focused too much on getting this movie to look pretty and professionally shot, whilst forgetting that story should be the central point.

I could forgive for the bad acting, since, I know they aren't professional, paid actors, as long as the script is good and the story is intriguing. In this case, it felt they just wanted to shoot all sorts of objects up close and show off their camera skills.

I am really sad the plot is so dull, I can't recommend this movie to anybody.

A beautiful film on multiple levels.

[cynthiabondar · 8/10 · 18 February 2021]

LOVED the music. LOVED the special effects. LOVED the A.N.I./Norman relationship. The movie started out a little slow for my taste. But once his AI companion was introduced, things really picked up. My absolute favorite part of the film was when he threw the apple into the machine. Being an electronic repair technician myself, it made me giggle a little when the meter and oscilloscope got hooked up to the function generator. But my specific knowledge is probably not the norm. I'm sure all the time machine technicians had a similar reaction while watching the machine get built. Nevertheless, I greatly enjoyed the film. I think the main actor improved tremendously part way through the film. My favorite characters where A.N.I. and Jennifer (you may know her as Jenny), so I was pleasantly surprised to find both were played by the same actress. A.N.I.'s personality made me laugh, which was a nice contrast to the seriousness of the Norman character and the overall tone of the film. I found it to be a great film especially considering the extremely low budget, single camera and almost decade of effort involved. I hope Joel Guelzo makes another film. When he does, I'll be first in line for tickets.

P.S. I've seen some less than stellar reviews about Norman on this app. I'm especially annoyed that people who couldn't be bothered to finish watching the film somehow found the time to leave a bad review for it.

Not for everybody, but a good movie

[erikanilsson-20805 · 7/10 · 27 February 2021]

There is a lot of differing opinions in the review field, and a lot of unnecessary harsh expressions. Here is my (personal) take on the film.

I liked it and consider it a good movie. It has a few rough edges, but I enjoyed it and look forward to watch it again. It is definetely a sci-fi movie, with some action and some drama.

The art and camerawork was beautiful and I found the music really, really good.

The pacing is slow, so if you come here looking for action-only or the fast paced nature of many modern hollywood films, you are probably gonna be disappointed. Another movie that gives me a similar feeling is "Ex Machina". It gives you time to contemplate and try to figure out what is happening.

The acting is generally good. It's not perfect, but the lead part in this movie is a very demanding role, so I think the lead actor does a good job.

I was a backer of the initial Kickstarter project, but only with a small investment enough to get me the digital version of the film, and I have no connection whatsoever to anyone in the film crew. I don't even live on the same continent.

Like I said it is not for everyone, but I am certain a lot of people will find it better and more interesting than several other sci-fi movies from more established producers with higher budgets.

If you like slow paced sci-fi/drama movies - give it a try :)

Unmemorable

[birdgerry · 1/10 · 6 February 2021]

I watched this movie two days ago and now cannot remember anything about it.

A Very Solid Low-Budget, Slow-moving, Sci-fi Drama.

[betchaareoffendedeasily · 3 August 2021]

Can we get past using "slow-paced" as an insult please? Yes, this movie is not fast, but that doesn't make it bad, it has a very deliberate pace, and it moves along very well. The story is indeed told in a disjointed fashion, but that in and of itself is also part of the story, so if you take issue with disjointed storytelling, just don't watch this. Even though it is disjointed, it is not hard to understand, I did not struggle at all to figure out what was going on, nor did I need to see it twice, though I do plan on watching it again anyway because I really enjoyed it. I enjoy low-budget films, I watch a lot of them, and enjoy them more than big-budget films most of the time.

I read several reviews, without spoilers, before watching, and even though they were all universally negative, I had to watch it because it is time travel, and I love time travel films. I am beginning to realize how little I can trust reviews anymore because people conflate their personal taste with whether or not something is good. That's not a review, that is trying to frame your opinion as fact, grow up. If you dislike low-budget films, avoid this, if you dislike slow movies, avoid this, if you dislike out of sequence storytelling, avoid this, if you dislike movies that don't explain very thing for you, avoid. If you watch it anyway, well, you set yourself up to watch something you will dislike, no one is to blame but you. I ended up really enjoying this movie, and I'm glad I ignored the negative reviews, I recommend it to a family member who also liked it as well.

Despite that, I will point out the one big flaw, and that is a scene between Norman and the character Jenny, Just in that one scene, the acting from Norman is pretty bad, thankfully it is a brief scene. Otherwise, while not perfect, the acting is very solid. I have little negative to say about this movie in terms of how it was made, especially for it's budget. The sound and music are superb, the lighting is great, the setting and props in the house are all great, the story is good, the writing is good, the overall execution is good, this is a very well-thought out and well executed low-budget sci-fi drama. It is obvious the director has a previous background in film making, though this is his first directorial effort.

I cannot fault this film for what it is, it is a philosophical meditation on the nature of destiny and choice, and it dos a good job of showing what that looks like in a time travel context. To say more would ruin the film, if you like time travel and philosophy, and don't mind a movie with little action, there is much to love here.

Slow and no attention to details

[Henry7227 · 1/10 · 5 February 2021]

I thought this might be decent. There was no attention to details. They are using black powder rifles in the first scene which require caps to fire. The close up scenes are shown without the cap installed but the person is ready to shoot. A second later he takes a shot and they know enough to have a cap installed for shooting. Then he reloads and again does not install a cap. To me it is the little things like this that matter. If they do not care about the details then how much do they care about the script?

I did watch it a little longer though. After the first ten minutes I was bored and couldn't wait for the long drawn out monologue to get over with. I gave up shortly after.

You should be embarrassed

[missionsparta · 1/10 · 11 February 2021]

Those of you writing reviews because you or a family member worked on this project should be embarrassed. This movie blows and you know it.

a guy from future talking to Siri

[Bac_Hir · 2/10 · 11 March 2021]

1h45 of a guy from the future drinking tea everyday and talking to Future Siri. that's pretty much it.

Norman needs to grow up.

[kayhansen1 · 4/10 · 12 July 2021]

I'm ok with the low-budget. I'm ok with the slow pace. I'm even ok with the the various continuity and plot hole issues.

But Norman is such a dick! And I'm not talking roguish dick like, say, Mad Men's Don Draper. I mean petulant dick like, say, Mad Men's Pete Campbell.

Other than his verbally abused, co-dependent AI, Norman is essentially the only character on screen for most of the movie. So it's a real problem that he's so unlikable.

good idea poorly executed

[iamjamalwhite · 2/10 · 17 February 2021]

Jumpy camera work and a confusing script might work for TENANT (it doesn't) but it doesn't work when your total film budget is $10,000 and you have no idea what you are doing. skip this mess

Another vapid time travel flick

[Snootz · 3/10 · 7 July 2021]

Every time I see a new time travel movie, I swear I'm never going to watch another one. But something deep inside made me watch it anyway because, what if this one's different?

This one wasn't different. While the movie was mildly interesting, the result was yet another unexplained, ridiculous film without meaning or ending. It makes no point, teaches no lesson, and tells no story (which is its worse offense). This is a waste of almost 2 hours.

No more time travel films. Time is too precious to waste it on drivel like this.

Another amateur attempt at trying to make an impossibly ridiculous concept appear possible!

[jesmcsparron · 2/10 · 14 February 2021]

Time is a human measuring standard for memory. To say you time traveled to 1984 is comparable to saying you went back to 1cm. What does that mean, going back to 1cm? It's Ridiculous! It means nothing! Then on top of this, the attempt is pushed forward by the skill, of a student camera operator who is in cahoots with a central actor with the vanity of a lens junkie. Lets say that most of the scenes here are more for the benefit of the camera operator who is on a mission to attain experience at the cost of the narrative but to the advantage of their subject, who is fodder for their capture. The director has obviously no control of these two rookies and allows them to deviate project from what it might have become; another time travel spiel. I mean Jesus H Christ, just look at the scene of the main character when he is standing on a street in the rain. He is actually looking around at the (real) people who are going about their daily lives to see if they are looking at him act! We've just had a glimpse of Stephen Birge and definitely not Norman! All in all this video footage is a real failure as a movie. Hopefully however, those who participated in this accumulated dreck will have learned something; i.e. Do not attempt to create more!

One of the most original films I've seen in a while

[ableslayer · 8/10 · 14 February 2021]

Before I watched this movie, I didn't know it was made by amateur photographers. It was really well made and the story is so moving. Actors are well kept and intriguing at times and the story arc of the main protagonist is really something to be excited about. The props that they have used on this film reminds me of Tom Cruise's Oblivion without the unrealistic space craft and weapons. The film mostly happens at home (SPOILER!) but it's OK but it was very relatable since we are all at home anyway. The color grading of the film with an orange hue all through out is something that is very special since most of the films nowadays looks like it's been color graded too much it looks very cartoonish. The script (and the voice actors) are just a thrill to listen to. Very smart and elusive.

And what a surprise knowing that this film was only created in 2 years (or was it 3?) by non-filmmakers in their backyard. I read their story and was really inspired to be one of them someday. How many people on this world can follow their dreams and be more than they ever think of? Hope they could make a sequel or better yet a different movie with different story. I really don't mind if they retain the same characters. Hollywood are so sellout these days they only think about what actors would be watched by the people and not care about the story at all.

Kudos to the people who were involved on this film. What a masterpiece you guys did!

Kill the music

[sumool · 1/10 · 25 March 2021]

So as soon as it started I was unhappy, The sound as it started was overbearing and painful. But I sat thru the 30 secs or so and watched the first scene, Again there was a bit with no dialogue and just the overbearing and painful music. Honestly I might have given this movie a chance and finished it if not for that. I watched for about 30 mins and even tried to watch with subtitles and no sound. Either way it proved to be unwatchable.

Not good

[roydo43 · 1/10 · 30 May 2021]

If you look up Not Good on Wikipedia you'll find the a thumbnail of this movie and if you don't you should. Poorly written. Mediocre acting and very slow paced absurd dialogue. The director of photography thinks he's in a French art film with extreme lingering close ups with the focusing racking in and out. Not Good. Stay away.