General discussion of BADLANDS

Share your general thoughts and reactions to Badlands here.

Comments

[Josh Noble]

It's hard for me to make up my mind on this film. I think it will take me a while to decide whether I liked it or not. My initial thoughts are these:
1) I liked some of the cinematography (especially when it showed wide, deep shots of the wilderness).
2) I liked the musical score, but I can't say I was a huge fan of the voice over narrative.
3) I understood that Kit and Holly's emotionlessness might have been a result/critique of society but it made them very boring to watch. I never felt too bad for Kit's victims which I think shows Malik's strength in creating Kit as a relatable character but then again I didn't really care what happened to Kit and Holly either. Perhaps that's the point, Kit and Holly's lack of emotion and loss of connection to others is mirrored in the audiences view of them.

[Lily Miller]

The film for me was good but I can't say that I would want to watch it again for entertainment purposes.
What Josh Noble said about the "emotionlessness" of the characters and that being "mirrored in the audiences view of them," was interesting. I definitely felt similarly to this. The only time Kit hinted at emotion is when Holly said she was going to turn herself in and leave him. With Kit's past I thought he was going to shoot her too.

[Jose Arredondo]

I thought the film Badlands was an interesting movie because of its simplicity and overall plot. I didn't know what to expect from it but I did appreciated how the overall cinematography matched the emotions that were trying to be portrayed. Some scenes that give good examples of this are when Holly and Kit are in the wilderness area and also when they are out in the middle of nowhere on their drive. I am not interested to see what Malick's later films have to offer.

[Jose Arredondo]

my mistake i meant to write "now" and not "not" on the last sentence

[Hope Sneddon]

I liked Badlands. I found that the cinematography, the shots of nature and the open landscape were what caught my attention. The use of music was something that really interested me as well. I think using Holly as a narrator was a good choice, it really highlighted her innocence.

[Amy Elder]

I agree with Lily, that I would not watch this again for entertainment purposes. But, this movie did make me realize how much I do not pay attention to the deeper meaning of movies. I watch movies and am usually focused on the story or the characters.
I do not often think of how the background in each frame could be telling a story as well. With Badlands, I felt that Malick's use of nature in the background helped to emphasize Kit and Holly's journey. This movie really demonstrated what Patterson was talking about when she referred to Malick's use of nature and beautiful landscapes.

[Mason Brause]

I found the movie to be somewhat emoitionless like Josh and Lily had said, but at the same time that may have just been Malick's desire for the characters to appear more disconnected from the rest of reality. It was intresting how Malick used extreme close ups of leaves and insects and birds to show how little those things were affected by the actions of the two protagonist. The voice overs seems like a less intresting way to set up seens but at the same time it also allows for a shorter film, so it will be intesting to see how he uses it in the other films.

[Anna Markee]

I really liked this movie because it was unique. Sometimes I feel like all the movies that come out now are very similar to one other. Especially action movies and romantic comedies. Therefore, I can never remember what the movie was about when I hear the title again, because they all blur together. However, I will always remember what Badlands was about. Yes, some parts were "weird" or different, but I think that's what made it good. I never knew what to expect.

[Hope Sneddon]

I found it interesting that after Kit killed Holly's father and burned down the house they both ran off into the wilderness and lived there for awhile. It was in that place that I feel they showed the most emotion. While they were living in town they did seem emotionless and dull. Although in the woods we see Holly's childish side come out. She played with make-up and acted silly. Kit showed frustration when not being able to catch a fish, and he listened when Holly would read to him. My point is that although living in town provides a social atmosphere they were clearly suppressed in that place. Being out in nature, a space that didn't have many boundaries was what seemed to free them at least for awhile.

[Lauren Hiland]

I thought the film Badlands had alot of good scenes with the camera angles, lighting, and music. Overall I really didn't care for the story too much though. The two main characters Holly and Kit were mysteriuos in their actions and motives behind their actions, but their lack of emotion for everything made me feel rather detached from the movie. I realize that Malick wanted to the characters to be somewhat detached from society and it's norms and be somewhat emotionless, and I feel like that was displayed very well throughout the film.

[Lucas Ashland]

I really enjoyed Badlands even though I was left feeling slightly confused depressed by the end of the film. The great part about this movie is the way Malick interprets and recreates dull, rural life in North Dakota during the 1950s yet at no point during the movie did I feel bored or uninterested with the story. The movie is educational in a lot of ways in that one is able to see a non-leave-it-to-beaver description of day-to-day life during 1950s. I would definitely see this movie again because the pleasing aesthetics of the movie as well as the interesting pacing and character development.

[Karl Amspacher]

I thought that the portion of the film that had the duo driving through the wilderness featured the most cinematic parts of the movie. The wide shots of the wilderness reminded me of No Country For Old Men by the Coen brothers.