They call her Mater Lacrimarum - the trashiest of the three and the least convincing...
There's no denying we have a bona fide bad movie classic here.
Plot in one sentence: Asia Argento gets chased by a monkey, has to trudge through an underwater river of puke and features in a 100% gratuitous shower scene.
LA TERZA MADRE is a hodgepodge of bad CGI, nice prosthetics, silly story and wild overacting.
Sergio Stivaletti's hugely uneven THE WAX MASK comes to mind as the next of kin.
There's the obligatory taxi ride, the Three Mothers Book, Varelli and Suzy Banyon are mentioned.
No amount or references can make LA TERZA MADRE a legitimate entry into the trilogy.
Stylistic unity established by the first two films has been disrupted.
Argento destroys the mythos built up by the previous two films.
The soundscape is disappointingly poor.
In the last shot of the film the surviving protagonists are laughing hysterically - seemingly at the very film which they had to participate in.
Argento's recent films are best appreciated if one forgets about his 'classic' early stuff.
The fact that LA TERZA MADRE is the final installment in the Three Mothers Trilogy makes comparisons to his past work inevitable, and these comparisons are not in favour of LA TERZA MADRE.
It's to Argento what DEMONIA was to Fulci - a botched rehash of once interesting themes.
The film is not scary. Neither were INFERNO and SUSPIRIA.
Those were two unique films though, Dario having really achieved something original with them.
I'd prefer the trilogy unfinished.
Two simple things could have made this a better movie...
ReplyDelete1. Fulvio Mingozzi as the cabdriver. He was the cabdriver in both Suspiria and Inferno.
2. Kier's character should have been Dr. Mandell
the movie would have earned kudos amongst fans of the originals, and the lame US monkey script would have been forgiven...
Yeah it's a true shame Mingozzi isn't in the film. And I honestly believe that we could easily do without the Nicolodi CGI ghost flying around. Ah well, what can you expect from people who scripted Van Damme's 'Derailed'.
ReplyDeleteHey, Alex.
ReplyDeleteYou succinctly summed up this film.
I think that after Opera, Argento didn't want to make any films like his previous ones. He set out on a new direction and never found an audience. He only alienated his older fans.
Several of his later films, like this one and Giallo do not even feel as if Argento wanted to make them. La terza madre is like a very brutal Harry Potter movie and plays like a comedy. Giallo is like any other recent American thriller. Jennifer is an interesting piece, very transgressive, but it doesn't feel inspired in Argento's opulent, indulgent style.
I suppose I understand why Argento went ahead and made La terza madre. Expectations were so high for the film, no one would ever be able to meet them. Let alone exceed them.
Great stuff, again, Alex and hope you're doing well. Be cool.
Thank you Hans, I like the Harry Potter analogy, hilarious ;)
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw La Terza Madre with an audience, goriest kills got nothung but laughs. So yeah, it's a comedy.
I am not enthusiastic about the announced Dracula 3D project. But I will have to see it, there's always some irrational hope, isn't there.
I am not bad, thanks.
Thank you guys for stopping by to comment, your input is much appreciated.