Experimenter (2015) Reviews

• My Wife Hated it I loved it.

  ryn-061392015-10-18

  Yes, as many other reviewers have eluded, the movie can be a bit dry. My wife got lost in the message because she lost interest rather quickly. It wasn't until I explained the message the movie was trying to convey that she seemingly became more interested. **spoiler** Watch it until the end, the message is rather powerful. I specifically liked the ending because (Sasha) Stanley's wife allowed herself to fall in the same class when the nurse made her fill the paperwork while Stanley is having a heart attack. In this instance, I felt like I would have called BS and told the nurse to get a doctor ASAP, instead of calmly filling out the paperwork like she was doing. But then again, that's exactly the message the movie was delivering, that we easily follow orders without question even against what we think is right.

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• Very factly...

  Red_Identity2015-10-16

  This film is particularly surprising. It's very interested in many of the facts of the real life obedience experiment. In fact, one could even argue that it seems to be very dry and non- climactic. The docudrama, of course, is restrained and doesn't overdo anything with large dramatizations of events and beats. I can also very much see many people getting bored with it however. Saarsgard is really great, totally inhabiting and creating that version of Milgram. Glad to see Winona Ryder on the screen again. Overall, it is very subdued, but it is a great introduction to the experiment that really shows as much as we can learn about what motivates people to commit such crimes.

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• Fantastic

  pjr2352015-10-24

  This movie gave a great insight into human nature and so did the experiments. Yes it was a tad slow but it only felt like that to me after I had watched it. I was immediately drawn in by the whole setup of the experiment and with the progression of the rest of them. This won't get anyone's heart pumping or racing but nonetheless I was glued to the screen with what this movie was trying to show me. I was so fascinated by the whole idea of it, that putting up with any of the 'slow' parts seemed quite easy. If you're in any way interested in human nature and how or why people could bring themselves to do certain things, you'll definitely appreciate this film. I didn't know anything about this man or his experiments but I always wondered about the very same things he did in regards to the tragedy's he spoke of and others. How can people slaughter others or commit heinous acts, bring themselves to do these things and then simply claim they were only the messenger? I believe it's definitely worth a watch to anyone.

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• An elephant?

  Shuggy2015-08-01

  For some reason I expected more of a documentary, so this docudrama nearly had me out the door, but the authoritative man in the grey lab coat persuaded me to stay. It clearly, and to my understanding, accurately, lays out the format of the notorious Milgram Experiment, which is necessary for all that follows; the public and academic backlash, our involvement as we question whether we would behave like Milgram's subjects, and his own soul-searching. To be sure, he comes across as quite cold-hearted, and more self-doubt would have made a more interesting story. Instead, all of the doubt is carried by his colleagues and Wynona Ryder as his patient wife. The original experiment is well-enough represented that the re-creation of a TV series about it (with Kellan Lutz as a young William Shatner playing the Milgram character) has some amusingly obvious elements of parody, and hence self-parody of this film. The film has some unsettling features over and above the experiments themselves - scenes carried out in colour in front of poorly placed monochrome back-projections, and an elephant, yes, a real, if slightly out of focus elephant behind Peter Sarsgaard as he talks to the camera walking towards us along a university corridor. Why? If it's The Elephant In The Room, what are we not seeing? As Milgram points out, he and his experiment are treated with opprobrium, but the results are accepted, and serve their purpose. While the Holocaust is repeatedly invoked (including footage of the Eichmann trial), and Milgram twice mentions that his name is Hebrew for pomegranate (in fact it's not but milgrom is the Yiddish), an obvious ethical parallel is not mentioned: the Nazi experiments of killing prisoners with X-rays, which are still shown (usually on an opt-in basis) to medical students.

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• Surprisingly Accurate and Creative Retelling of the Most Important Experiment Ever Done

  idontdodrugs2015-10-26

  This movie is about Stanley Milgram, arguably one of the most important social psychologists in our field, and specifically about one of his most important experiment - his obedience to authority experiment. The movie depicts to my knowledge accurately the setup, conduction, and results of the experiment and goes further, crafting an interesting and weighted portrayal of the man that Stanley Milgram was. The acting is low key, Peter Sarsgaard especially delivers a down to earth performance which shows that he rigorously prepared for the role. All supporting characters (e.g. Winona Ryder, Anton Yelchin) do a good job and no one distracts from the key issues raised by the experiment. Cinematography is good, although nothing special. Occasionally there are creative moments in direction. When the 4rth wall is broken by Sarsgaard and he speaks directly to the audience, weird things happen in the background, making these moments very endearing and interesting. There are no thrills or action in this movie, as well as no conventional drama. It is kind of a biopic with a twist, although I would say the biographic aspect is downplayed by the focus on this specific experiment. Many scientific issues are addressed on a side note (e.g. the ethical code of doing experiments, which triggered the proliferation of ethical committees for scientific research). I would recommend this movie to people who are interested in science, more specifically in psychology (but not exclusively), that do not need action, drama, or thrills and enjoy a well researched and crafted movie with good acting.

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