Martyrs Reviews

* * * This review contains spoilers * * *ShowHide

[Highly rated reviewer]

Effective horror, yet slightly disappointing

From Pascal Laugier (who will soon be directing and writing the Hellraiser remake), Martyrs is at times a very good, very effective horror movie that is bloody, violent, a little disturbing and well acted, with some very good make-up effects. Sadly it is also a little underwhelming though given my expectations due to the hype surrounding the film, in the end is nothing like what I expected it to be (the numerous comparisons to the film Inside are unnecessary, with the only similarities being that both are French films and both having blood & violence. Comparisons to films like Hostel and to a lesser extent Hellraiser would be more appropriate) and the sadistic violence in the last 30-minutes got surprisingly quite boring very quickly (rather than having the shocking & very disturbing effect I suspect the director wanted it to have). But even though Martyrs was quite a disappointment in the end, there were some good ideas and effective scenes during the film and there is hope for a good Hellraiser remake if Laugier (maybe with the help of Clive Barker) is left to make the film he envisions without interference from the producers.

Disturbing, horrific and shocking.

Warning! Do not watch this film if you are easily shocked.

This film is horrible, I didnt enjoy it, but it left me is such a state of shock and sadness that I couldnt stop talking or thinking about it.

Its 3 films in one really. It starts as a basic slasher, then turns into a drama, but the last act is just simply horrifying. A relentless attack on your senses, you'll cry, you'll look away, you'll want to turn it off......and then.....well just wait and see but believe me you wont feel the same ever again.

i couldnt sleep properly for 2 nights after watching this film, and when my friends saw it, it had the same effect.

This isnt an enjoyable film, its an experience you'll never forget.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Gratuitous

As a long term advocate of free expression and the pushing of boundaries in cinema, it says a lot about Martyrs that it is the first film which has truly made me doubt my own position. Shocking, vile, gruesome and utterly depressing - the film sets a new standard in ‘gruelling’. Frequently I felt like turning it off and by the end I wished I had.

I do not doubt Laugier’s artistic intentions and in places the film impresses. As a meditation on the dangers and hypocrisies inherent in organised religion as well as the emotional (as well as physical) scars we leave on one another the film has some intriguing observations to make. But the approach would charitably be described as overkill. Indeed, Laugier uses a metaphorical bulldozer to try cracking this particular nut.

So should artistic freedom give filmmakers leave to employ distressing and extreme imagery completely without sanction? The negative reaction in Cannes to Lars von Trier’s Antichrist would suggest not. There is simply not enough substance to vindicate the extremity of Martyrs. This results in it being gratuitous. For that reason alone I can only suggest that this particularly repulsive film is one to avoid.

Disgusting!

I have never written a review before but for this I make an exception...

Never seen anything so gratuitous, perverted and soul-less. Absolute waste of time, nothing of any merit - in any way. Producers and dire\ctor obviously have too much money and sick minds. Even the rubbish bin spat it back out!

Twisted Garbage

I don't care what anyone says - if you even remotley enjoyed this film you are a strange person. Sick nonsense.

[Highly rated reviewer]

made for misogynists by misogynists

If your idea of a great film, is women being beaten up in their underwear - then this is the one for you. If not then don't waste 90 minutes of your life. There were absolutely no redeeming features to this film.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Powerful

Ok, I’m not sure where to start with Martyrs. I don't think I have ever seen a film that has left me so emotionally and physically drained. What starts off as a well-made revenge flick with a twist quickly descends into one of the most insightful, frightening and troubling films to date.

Director Pascal Laugier makes sure to pull no punches when showing the extent of human suffering. Far beyond the violence, which there is plenty of, Martyrs also asks many more important questions regarding belief, flesh and torment.

Along with the impressive direction, the acting is also extremely strong, it is because of this that Martyrs seems to claw itself into your brain, you truly begin to feel the dread of the main characters Anna and Lucie played impressively by Morjana Alaoui and Mylène Jampanoï.

Martyrs is a true masterpiece, a strong stomach and most importantly a strong mind is required to watch this film. You will be left thinking about Martyrs long after you see it, trust me on that. You will be taken through a painful and heart-wrenching ride that will leave you heaped on the floor in an emotional wreck thanks to the beautiful climax.

I was left disgusted, angry and overwhelmingly enlightened after watching Martyrs, but I feel that any film that is capable of forcing such emotions has surely got to be seen, don't you think?

View with genuine FEAR.........

as gruesome and horrific the scenes in this film are, the most truly disturbing aspect of the film is the notion that the extreme extreme torture is validated in the name of the search for a 'religious experience' .........

I'm not normally one for censorship , but in this case, the extreme portrayal of horrific and relentless torture , compounded to the religious element, is extremely worrying....

mental unstability and religious fanaticism have been proven to go hand in hand, and one can only but fear the possibility of copy cat events based on a film like this.

as a horror, thats one thing, but this is pure extreme torture , playing on a religious note.

extremely worrying indeed.

my rating is based upon what the film is able to achieve, and of course, that it falls upon mature and mentally stable adult minds, who will at the end of the day, see it as gruesome horror and entertainment ( of sorts ) ......it will scare the living hell out of you.......

Packs an emotional punch

Martyrs is one of those horror films the europeans are doing so much better than the americans these days. Like Let The Right One In and Rec, this film impressed me more than any recent slasher movie. I will not spoil the plot for anyone wishing to watch it, but suffice it to say I personally found it quite tense during the first half, and then draining towards the end. Enjoyable, if that's the right word for such an intense film.

terrible

absolute gob shi#e seriously dont bother and its in french so you have to read subtitles