Review: Terry Gilliam's 'The Zero Theorem' starring Christoph Waltz, Melanie Thierry, and Matt Damon

For Terry Gilliam it's been thirty years since his seminal work, Brazil, the first part of his loose "Orwellian Triptych", and in that time he's made it tough to remain a fan. Many of his films carry a similar visual razzle-dazzle, part steampunk and part carnival funhouse mirror, while imagining some government-controlled future dystopia. We've seen it all before from others and many times by Gilliam himself, and sadly his latest film TheZero Theorem is just more of the same, only it makes less sense.

Two-time Oscar winner Christoph Waltz takes an odd detour as Qohen Leth, a bald-headed reclusive computer programmer who "crunches" data for Mancorp, some monolithic corporation that seems to control everything. It's putting it mildly to say that Qohen isn't much of a people person. He's a jittery, barely-audible introvert of epic proportions, obsessed with learning the meaning of his life. He's so consumed with it that he waits patiently by the phone thinking someone will soon call him with the answer, and this being a Gilliam film it may very well happen. Qohen just wants to be left alone to wait for his call and do his work, but distractions arise after Management (Matt Damon in an expanded cameo) assign him to solve the "zero theorem", a math equation that proves life is meaningless. Something like would be enough to drive a person mad, but he gets help from a gorgeous call girl Bainsley (Melanie Thierry), Management's son (Lucas Hedges), a pesky computer psychologist (Tilda Swinton), and Qohen's boss (David Thewlis). They don't help him crack the numbers, per se, but to maintain his fragile sanity.

Much of the film is set inside Qohen's home, a church of great visual splendor but it's nothing compared to the chaos of the outside world. Gilliam imagines a marketing nightmare-reality where commercials (featuring the likenesses of Gwendoline Christie, Lily Cole, and Rupert Friend) literally follow your every move. It's typical Gilliam and his fans will love the splendor of it, but the mechanics of the world are surprisingly vague. The focus is instead on Qohen and his quest for the meaning of life, which amounts to him having visions of black holes and punching keys on a keyboard. It's not terribly exciting, nor does screenwriter Pat Rushin have an original thought to put in Qohen's head. We recognize his existential angst but never fully understand it; the marvelous imagery proving a worthy distraction from a ho-hum plot. Waltz isn't bad but his jittery Buddha routine comes off as too practiced, like he's trying hard to act how a Gilliam character should act. The same goes for much of the cast who pop in and out with a splash but little impact. Only the effervescent Thierry, in her array of colorful outfits and hairstyles, manages to liven things up every time she appears. Yeah, she's something of a twirling pixie (women aren't represented well at all, by the way) but at least she's having fun and by extension we want her around as much as possible.

The Zero Theorem has a pretty big riddle at its center, but the one problem it can't solve is how to get Gilliam on the right track. It tries hard to emulate the director's most cherished films when setting out on a fresh course would have been the right answer.

 Rating: 2 out of 5

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New U.S. Trailer for Terry Gilliam's 'The Zero Theorem' Starring Christoph Waltz

We've seen a lot of Terry Gilliam's bizarre-looking The Zero Theorem already, which has made it difficult for me to care about this latest trailer even though it might be the best of the bunch. Gilliam heads back into Brazil territory thematically and visually, bringing along a cast led by Christoph Waltz, Melanie Thierry, Tilda Swinton, David Thewlis, Ben Whishaw, Matt Damon, and Lucas Hedges. Waltz takes the lead as Qohren Leth, a computer genius suffering from a bout of existential angst while attempting to break a code that will reveal the meaning of life. Visually stunning, odd, and weighty with some pretty big ideas, it looks like a uniquely Gilliam sort of film, which is reason enough to intrigued.

The Zero Theorem hits VOD on August 19th, followed by a theatrical run a month later.

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First Trailer for Terry Gilliam's 'The Zero Theorem' with Christoph Waltz

It's safe to say that Terry Gilliam's career behind the camera has been a bit spotty, but the guy knows his way around strange, dystopian visions of the future. The Brazil and 12 Monkeys director is in similar territory with The Zero Theorem, and while we've seen some leaked footage already, the first official trailer has now arrived.

Starring Christoph Waltz, the film seems to be paying homage to Gilliam's earlier films while plowing forth into thoughtful new territory. Waltz plays Qohen, a reclusive computer genius who has been tasked with proving the Zero Theorem, a mathematical equation that proves existence has no meaning. Qohen must battle beaurocracy, a sexy distraction played by Melanie Thierry, and his own existential angst to keep his wits in a bizarre world that seems to be going mad.

Co-starring Matt Damon, David Thewlis, Tilda Swinton, Ben Whishaw, and Lucas Hedges, The Zero Theorem still has yet to gain a U.S. release date.


The Zero Theorem (2013) - Official Trailer [VO-HD] by Eklecty-City.fr

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First Clip from Terry Gilliam's 'The Zero Theorem'

Terry Gilliam has never been the most prolific of directors, but the gap between films has been made worse by diminishing returns. Put simply, he hasn't done anything worth getting excited over in a lot of years, with his last two features The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and Tideland barely showing a glimmer of his past imagination. With the arrival of his latest film, The Zero Theorem, which seems to have share thematic and stylistic traits with Brazil, his fans are once again hoping for a return to form.

While it has yet to secure a release date, The Zero Theorem debuted today at Venice, and along with it comes this first clip. It gives us a solid look at the colorful, media-obsessed future world he's created, one where superheroes seem to be an ongoing craze. A not-so-subtle commentary on the current Hollywood trend? Christoph Waltz stars as a neurotic, introverted computer programmer working for Management (represented by Matt Damon in a small role), whose job it is to solve the "zero theorem" that will prove life is utterly meaningless.

Check out the clip from The Zero Theorem below....[Comingsoon]

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Posters for 'The Zero Theorem', 'Last Vegas', 'The Fifth Estate', and More

Ready to jump back into the twisted, wonderful imagination of Terry Gilliam again? It's been far too long since he's given us any reason to get excited, but The Zero Theorem looks great. It stars Christoph Waltz, Melanie Thierry, David Thewlis, Lucas Hedges, Matt Damon, and it seems to be right in the same sci-fi wheelhouse that gave us Gilliam's brilliant Brazil. But Gilliam can probably explain it better himself in this director's statement: "When I made Brazil in 1984, I was trying to paint a picture of the world I thought we were living in then. The Zero Theorem is a glimpse of the world I think we are living in now. Pat Rushin’s script intrigued me with the many existential ideas he had incorporated into his funny, philosophic, and touching tale. For example: What gives meaning to our lives, brings us happiness? Can we ever be alone in our increasingly connected and constricted world? Is that world under control or simply chaotic? We’ve tried to make a film that is honest, funny, beautiful, and surprising; a simple film about a complex modern man waiting for a call to give meaning to his life; about inescapable relationships and the longing for love, full of quirky characters and sparkling performances; raising questions without offering obvious answers. Hopefully, it’s unlike any film you have seen recently; no zombies, no caped crusaders or alien spacecraft. Actually, I might have lied about that last item. Having not worked with a budget this small for several decades, I was forced to work fast and instinctively, pressured only by time and money. We relied on the freedom to spin on a dime, to make outrageous creative leaps. The results surprised even me. I’m proud to have been part of The Zero Theorem."

There's a definite Rat Pack vibe to this stylish new poster for Last Vegas, befitting its cast of screen legends: Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, Kevin Kline, and Morgan Freeman. They play best friends who hit Sin City to celebrate the one's last night of bachelorhood, reliving their glory days in the process. Last Vegas is directed by Jon Turteltaub and opens on November 1st.

We've already seen Benedict Cumberbatch play the morally complex "villain" in Star Trek Into Darkness, and now he'll tackle a real life figure who many have very different opinions of. In The Fifth Esate he plays Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, with Daniel Bruhl as his partner Daniel Domscheit-Berg. The one-sheet's tagline pretty much says it all. The men who specialized in exposing secrets had a few of their own to hold on to, secrets that would disrupt the organization from within. The Fifth Estate opens October 18th.

Here are two crazy posters for Dom Hemingway, starring a sneering Jude Law as the titular character, a mouthy and vulgar safe cracker looking to claim his reward for keeping his mouth shut in prison for twelve years. Of course it doesn't quite go as planned, and based on everything we've heard this is going to descend into a haze of drug and drink-fueled madness that Irvine Welsh could appreciate. Richard E. Grant, Demian Bichir, Emilia Clarke, and Kerry Condon star, with Richard Shepard (The Matador) directing. The film will hit TIFF next month before opening in theaters on April 4th 2014.

And here are six new posters for Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, which has Flint Lockwood (Bill Hader) returning home to fix his infamous machine that is now creating mutant food monsters. Anna Faris, Terry Crews, Benjamin Bratt, James Caan and more lend their voices to the anticipated sequel, due to hit theaters in 3D on September 27th.

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[REMOVED] Leaked Trailer For Terry Gilliam's 'The Zero Theorem' With Christoph Waltz, Matt Damon, and Tilda Swinton

 NOTE: As expected, the trailer has been taken down. We'll update with the official version once it's available.

This trailer for Terry Gilliam's sci-fi comedy The Zero Theorem is of the leaked variety, meaning it may not be around too long. Footage of the film has been floating around in various spots for awhile, but now it's all on YouTube and ready to be viewed for the time being, so enjoy it while you can because it looks tremendous.

In what looks like an imaginative, surreal return to form for the director, The Zero Theorem stars Christoph Waltz as a computer programmer in the midst of an existential crisis. His problem is worsened by the the need to solve the impossible zero theorem, which could explain the purpose of all existence, assuming there is one. Matt Damon co-star as Management, who continuously interrupts Waltz's progress, while Melanie Thierry is a beautiful distraction who takes him to all sorts of gloriously constructed locales. Gilliam appears to be playing with our sense of reality once again, and exploring many of the same governmental themes he took on in Brazil. Frankly, it's been far too long since he's done something that looked this good. There are some truly profound moments here along with many of the deeply intimate variety. Look close and you'll catch an appearance by Tilda Swinton, and David Thewlis looks to have a flashy role of his own.

No release date for this yet, but hopefully it'll turn up soon. If you're interested in seeing more, and aren't worried about spoilers, there's a 12-minute block of footage you can check out here.

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Ben Whishaw joins 'The Zero Theorem' in cameo role

Like a lot of people, Ben Whishaw became known to me in Tom Tykwer's thriller Perfume: The Story of a Murderer. A movie I have a pretty severe disdain for, the thought of Whishaw ever amounting to anything beyond it seemed unlikely. Boy, was I wrong. He's actually been one of my favorite actors ever since, doing great things in Bright Star, I'm Not There, and Brideshead Revisited. He's turning up in two blockbuster films this season in Cloud Atlas(also with Tykwer) and Skyfall, but his dance card for next year is already starting to fill up.

With Steven Spielberg targeting Whishaw for a role in Robopocalypse, the actor is also lining up a cameo in Terry Gilliams sci-fi film, The Zero Theorem. His role is unclear right now, but if all goes through he'll join Matt Damon and Tilda Swinton in making brief appearances in the film. Set in a dystopian future, the story centers on an eccentric computer genius(Christoph Waltz) who sets out to discover the meaning of human existence. His work catches the attention of Management, who try to distract him with a sexy, teenage lover(Melanie Thierry).

Gilliam has never had trouble gathering great casts for his flicks, although his recent stuff(The Brothers Grimm, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus) have still been terrible. Hopefully The Zero Theorem sets him back on the right track.  [Daily Mail]

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