Movie Review - Under the Skin

Under the Skin ** (R) I’d never have expected to find a sci-fi film starring Scarlett Johansson as an alien seductress to turn out this dull. Those who remember Natasha Henstridge’s sexy, high-octane reproduction quest among unwitting, overmatched Earthlings in 1995's Species will be particularly disappointed by the long stretches of dreary exteriors, moody background music, dearth of dialog, and minimal physical action. The tone of the film much more closely approximates Kirsten Dunst’s 2011 tediously bleak, if not downright depressing, end-of-the-world drama, aptly named Melancholia.

In this one, Johansson lands from space in rural Scotland. A few silent henchmen on motorcycles assist her at times, but she’s the one who picks up unattached guys with the promise of sex and leads them into some sort of viscous suspension for reasons we never learn. Seeing more of this talented beauty than usual is a considerable perk of the production. But those moments are mostly underlit, and less erotic or otherwise revealing than the pre-opening hype suggests. That’s consistent with the plot. More is suggested than explained in an attempt at lyrical surrealistic art. Some may find the result a case of what might be called cinematus interruptus. (4/18/14)