VividSimon Simply Perfect

Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Suman Roberson It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

cembalo-91031 For those who think this might be far-fetched I refer to the Christian and very influential theologian, St Augustine of Hippo, who thought sex was disgusting (and he had had quite a bit of it) and only redeemed by its procreative aspect. This ably demonstrates that reducing sex to that function is debased, and totally wrong. Yet sanctions on contraception are still widely upheld. Figure out the implications of that. The series ably illustrates the ridiculous and artificial restrictions on female behavior: women are overly delicate in speech and gesture but when violence is mandated they are expected to, and do, comply. And even for unbelievers, quaint, pious expressions are so successfully inculcated they can't resist mouthing them even when unobserved. It reminded me suddenly of Joan of Arc who saved France as a separate country, but simply had to die, because, what do you do with a talented, heroic female soldier whose existence undermines the male biases of the whole system? This movie is not merely futuristic but a kind of parodic reflection of the status and lives of most women in this so-called civilized world. Traditional religion has not been the only negative factor, but it certainly hasn't helped much.

buckikris In a futuristic fascist world, a majority of the men and women are infertile. There is only a small percentage can bear children. In the beginning of the film Kate(Natasha Richardson) who later become Offered, is caught. She seems to be escaping with her husband, and daughter. The family runs into guards from the Republic Of Gilead. They kill Kate's husband, and take her daughter from her. Kate is taken to a colony where the majority of women are taken; and her daughter to another family. Once she arrives at this camp, she is processed and separated. Women are screen, tested, and put into groups. Kate(Offered) is put into a group where women who are fertile, become Handmaiden's. Those that can't reproduce are considered slave labor. The Handmaidens are supposed to be the lucky ones. Offered meets Ofglen( Elizabeth Montgomery), who was caught begin a Lesbian. She was labeled as a gender traitor, but spared execution because she can reproduce. Offered and Ofglen get to know each other; and quickly become fast friends. Once the bus arrives at the handmaid training camp, they both think of ways to escape. The women are assigned rooms, and daily they have this type of submissive training. The group consists of numerous women, who will be one day picked to become a surrogate for a well off family to produce their child. They are brainwashed to believe this is right. A society that takes women to breeding camps to be bred like cattle, is very scary.Once Offred and Ofgled think of a plan, Offred is picked to be a Handmaiden for The Commander( Robert Duvall) and Serena(Faye Dunaway). Once there Offred is forced into this bizarre love ritual. She lies between Serena and The Commander. It is really demoralizing, what these Handmaids are forced to do and become. These rituals are done several times. Supposedly once a Handmaiden conceives, they are sent back to the camp until her due date is near. In Offred's case she goes though numerous rituals with no success. On day she is approached by Serena, to use a different method, so she will mot get sent to the work camps. The men are never blamed if they are the ones who are sterile. Serena tells Offered if she's interested she will introduce her to Nick(Aidan Quinn).In the meantime Offred Helps Ofglen escape from the camp. They devise a plan to distract the warden. Ofglen tells the warden a toilet is overflowing in the bathroom. The warden checks it out and walks into a trap. Offred and Ofglen tie her up, and Ofglen escapes to a new life.As for Offred the horror continues, until she eventually makes good on Serena's plan. She develops a strong relationship with Nick, and eventually becomes pregnant. She know this could be her opportunity to escape and wants Nick to come with her. She plans to kill The Commander, so she can escape and raise her child away from this hell. At first, it looks like she may get away, until she is caught by Serena. The guards arrive, along with Nick. At first she thinks Nick is going to turn her in, but he quietly tells her to play along. Nick becomes a mole, but eventually aids in her escape. Near the end Offred is up in the hills still waiting for Nick. It becomes a waiting game, and she is unsure she will ever see him again.This is a classic movie, when I first watched it; it freaked me out. I recommend this movie to anyone, it's an independent film and it's rare. When I watch this film it reminds me of the far right Republicans. It's a scary thought, but does our government have to much control over the citizens. This movie will make you think about that question.

Blueghost I've seen this film twice. Once in my social studies class in high school, and I think once more on HBO or something.I didn't find the film all that interesting. It was a sci-fi dystopic- jab at religious fundamentalism. In this case Christianity, which to me didn't seem to plausible.And I guess that's the key element of my review. The society portrayed seem to have this strange quasi-hybrid matriarchal tinge over a patriarchal society. Reproduction is regimented and given a ceremony. A comment on social conventions that grate against social freedoms. It's an old theme, though given a unique flavor in this play.Like a lot of sci-fi it's a bit of a warning, but one that strikes me as being a bit more fanciful than anything else. No matter how you dress it up it just doesn't stand to reason that anyone, for any length of time, would ever put up with the draconian measures used to clamp down on sexuality.I don't remember too much else about this film, other than I didn't bother to see it again. If you must, then see it once.Watch at your own risk.

purespammail I am a huge fan of dystopian fiction and movies, but was highly disappointed by this piece of trash.Having read Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale" in addition to seeing the movie, I can honestly say that this was one of the worst films I have ever been forced to watched. We overanalyzed the book in my English class, literally spending months looking for "hidden messages" and re-reading chapters. I saw the movie in said class (ironically, with all the dirty parts censored out), and the wooden acting, cheesy dialogue, and incredibly slow plot development only further turned me off of all things "Handmaid's Tale".The book itself is crude, insipid, and extremely vague; the movie is not much better. And while the novel contains numerous incomplete thoughts, pointless ramblings, and strong feminist inclinations, Harold Pinter's adaptation skillfully manages to retain these factors that made the paperback so worthless. I find it interesting that such a movie even got released here in the US, a country where women have it so "terribly":http://www.sasi.group.shef.ac.uk/worldmapper/display.php?selected=133I would not recommend this movie to anyone with half a brain. It bored the hell out of me.