User reviews

Love it or hate it, this film is technically astonishing and whatever it's trying to do, it's doing it very well. It's almost like they've trapped the true essence of French Extremism, set it on fire, and followed it with a steady cam.

The camera work in this is surreal and its movements, along with the actors' choreography, are surprisingly well coordinated for a "write-as-we-go" film.

Climax will make you feel a lot of things and I don't think you're going to like how most of those things feel, but that's exactly what makes Climax a very well executed horrifying experience.

As an exercise in pure viscera, Argentine provocateur Gaspar Noé mostly pleases with Climax. A group of dancers unknowingly drink spiked sangria which slowly warps their afterparty into an LSD-soaked nightmare. With a premise like that, it may be evident that this is a film meant to be experienced rather than thought about. The pleasures of Climax come nearly entirely from its sheer audiovisual power: the ceaselessly pulsating score, the fluid one-shot takes, the lurid colors. It's closer to performance art than what most people would characterize as a "movie" and should be approached with that mindset if you're to enjoy it. However, as enjoyable as its best sequences are, the lack of nearly any thematic depth imbues much of the film with a subtly nagging tediousness. And even when viewed purely from an experiential perspective, it is far from watertight in its pacing and flow. Still, there is a cumulative power in its sound, visuals, and theatrics that's hard to deny.

Weak 3.5/5

Pros: Amazing choreography. The opening scene really got me (as did the intro credits roll part). Very good acting, and a creative use of camera. Loved the first act of the movie.

Cons: A story with no conclusion. The "brave" use of camera was kind of overemphasized to the point where it got exhausting. Reveal of who was guilty of pouring LSD in Sangria gave us no satisfaction, no conclusion, and the movie takes such a big curve in the second act, that everything that happened in the first act is utterly meaningless.

After an incredible 20 minutes opening, Gaspard Noé seems to be himself and put a movie that could be a masterpiece into a boring provocative piece of art. By the half of the movie, you won't discover anything you already seen in Gaspard Noé's movies. Still, the filming of dance and the idea that dance is art language is interesting.

CLIMAX or how long can you stand watching boring dancers and average at best actors pretend to be on drugs? Zero story, lots of screaming, no surprises. I'd even say this film is pretty tame (for Noé). And it's neither radical nor inventive anymore to simply turn the camera upside down or to show the end credits first. Apart from big respect for some well done one-shot moments, I'm quite disappointed.

I always feel excited and a little bit anxious watching a new film by French director Gaspar Noe. His past films have have included the controversial "Irreversible" known for its unflinching and brutal portrayal of sexual violence, the mind bending and psychedelic trip that is "Enter the Void" and the erotic drama "Love" which features unsimulated sex presented in 3D. Noe is pushing the limits for not only what Is allowed to be shown in a film but also for what the film medium is capabale of. Unconventional narrative structures, mind bending visuals and camera angles you wouldn't even dream of. These are just a few things that can be found in his films.

I am happy to say that Climax may be Noe's tamest film in terms of its sex and violence. And I am very excited to say that it may also be the best film he has made yet. I feel that it's best to know as little as possible about the film before seeing it to have the best possible experience. What I will say though is that the film grips you from the start, and only tightens that grip throughout the running time. The film makes use of one location and one situation and one set of characters to put you in the moment. The excitement and exuberance that you feel during the first dance sequence which is shot entirely in one take will change and evolve throughout the film into sequences that are much more frightening and intense. Go along for the ride though because it is a unique work of filmmaking worth seeing in a cinema and if you hold on tight, you may experience something that is close to an outer body experience.

A group of dancers has a party in an empty school. Things turn bad when their punch gets spiked. I love the energy of the dancers. There is great exuberance and they dance with abandon. It took about fifteen minutes before I realized that the movie isn't cutting. I assumed it for the rest of the movie and then it changed again. I wish they go for broke and do the movie in one take.

It's hard to concentrate on any main character. Sofia Boutella is probably the only noteworthy actor. Some of the others could do more. It's the filming style. They're not allowed to hold the screen and being non-actors, they can't grab it for themselves. Maybe they are better off as an amorphous mob. Again, that would work better as a single take.

The only good thing about this movie was the dancing. Literally, everything else about it is annoying. It's actually really boring. It has no plot and no point. The dialogue is puerile, at best, and you can't possibly empathize with the characters. If this is your first introduction to Noe, you'll likely never feel the need to watch any of his other films.

This is not an easy watch. And while Climax may suggest this to be very sexual or at least sensual, you might be dissapointed if you're looking for that kind of "satisfaction". The choreography of the dancing is really good, the cinematography is something to behold too. If you don't mind long uninterrupted shots that is of course.

This is about addiction, about people driven to go the extra mile and about people hoarded in a secluded location going "nuts" as some might describe it. And as a different reviewer wrote: this is an experience. It will split a lot of people as it did at the various festivals it played. This is not an ordinary movie, but when has Noe done that? So if you are aware of his body of work, you at least know not to expect something "normal". Now some have stated, that if you had experience with certain drugs, you may understand or "enjoy" this experience more than others. I can't talk to that, not having had that experience. I can say though that this is quite rough to watch. Especially when things spiral downwards ...

Still very enticing and tension filled. Technically almost flawless it will depend what you make of the "story" or rather the excuse of one to get the viewer to go on a ... well "trip"!

Before people start screaming about how in Noe's other films some themes are explored better or he handles some techniques the best , this is the first time I've seen one of his films, and it gave me an emotion no other movie (or real life event, for that matter) had ever given me before. Never in my life have I hated so much experiencing something I adored with a passion. And that's Climax. I never want to see it again, and that's surprising, because I never had a problem handling dark themes or gore in films, but this was something else. So anxiety-inducing, so claustrophobic; it made me feel trapped and I enjoyed every second of it. It is a crime this movie did not get at least nominated for best cinematography at the Academy Awards, because the way the camera is handled is superb.

A party with a lot of dancing people (because it is a dancing group) alcohol and drug abuse cliches. That's pretty much the story of the film. I have to admit, the 2nd time I watched it, it was better. I think, this movie is not about the story, which is predictable, this movie is more about observing these people, and how they behave. And this is done pretty well. Therefore it deserves a 6-star rating but not higher.

This is the first movie I've ever watched that almost made me physically ill. It's nihilistic, ugly, erotic, and so devoid of humanity I almost screamed partway through the 40 minute shot just to get some of the feelings out.

At the same time it's a beautiful tour de force with the most visceral dance sequences on film. There are moments of shocking beauty within the chaos. And, most surprisingly of all, it somehow manages to avoid exploitation in any form.

This is my first - and probably last - Noe film. I have purposefully chosen not to watch Noe before now. Noe is who Lars Von Trier wishes he could be: dark, subversive, and shocking to the core without cheap gimmicks or an ego visible in every frame. Noe sees brutality and finds beauty, not just because of but in spite of.

This isn't a fun movie. If you're unsure if you should watch it, don't. And if you do, watch it sober and with something light as an immediate chaser.

Well. If you are after an experience, I guess this is one. Like a night when you really pushed the boundaries on drink or drugs and you're at the stage when you either need to be sick or walk it off, either way, it's a long night.

This is a film about expressive dance, colour palette, drugs and primitive release. It walks the line between nonsense and art.

It has shades of Suspiria but is not as refined, it is harsh, like nails down a chalk board at times.

It's certainly a trip, I felt I lost balance watching it at some point!

Sound up your street? This is no easy watch but worthy for the dance, colour and experience.

You have been warned.

7/10

More like bath salts or flakka. Seems odd everyone's base reaction was violent from taking LSD. Wouldn't some people be happy? Realized? Want to talk about metaphysics?

"Climax" is less of a film than it is a visceral experience, and that will immediately turn off a good population of moviegoers who will invariable dismiss it as "artsy garbage." If you're one of these people who can't stand films made by "artsy" directors, what are you even doing going to see a Gaspar Noé movie?

But whew. If you appreciate film or dance, you are going to be blown away by this masterpiece. This is "Step Up" on crack cocaine.

A group of young people who subscribe to an underground dance culture meet for a three-day weekend of intense rehearsal. On the final night, during their closing party, someone spikes the sangria, and well....best not to say much more.

The first 45-60 minutes of the film are made up of impeccably choreographed dance sequences that had my eyes glued to the screen like I had just rail-lined a bunch of Ritalin. Some may call this "boring" but I found it to be electrifying and mesmerizing. The music in the film is constant, like you're watching it in a nightclub instead of a theater. Electronic powerhouses such as Thomas Bangalter, Giorgio Moroder, and Aphex Twin contribute to the dazzling soundtrack. After the first dance sequence, which lasts about 10-15 minutes, I wanted to stand up and applaud. Then I forgot that I was in a movie theater.

I especially enjoyed the cast of characters, which reminded me so much of my days doing musical theater in high school. If you've done performing arts in either high school or college, you will appreciate "Climax" on an entirely different level. The awkward politics of being in such a troupe come out in full force -- while everyone is generally nice to one another, rivalries and furious envy exist in the shadows, in addition to cutthroat attitudes and the occasional best friend / power couple dynamic. When things go wrong after the sangria is spiked, these politics are blown up into a larger than life spectacle. It was a neurotic joy to watch unfold.

And boy do things get wild. The key theme once the action begins is pure, unadulterated panic. Gaspar Noé's trademark direction brings us back to the chaotic, irregularly lit sequences seen in "Irreversible." The action is so dense. Some keep dancing. Some commit acts of violence. Some have passionate sex on the dance floor. Your eyes and senses are overwhelmed and you have no idea where to look, until a fast camera pan takes you to a completely different part of the room.

Speaking of which, the cinematography is top notch (although that's a running theme in Noé's repertoire). You've got all kinds of shots here -- dutch angles, long cuts that contribute to the chaos, even slow inversions that make you feel as if you are in a fun house at the Jersey Shore. It's incredibly disorienting, nauseating, and a whole lot of fun.

While watching, I also noticed a lot of similarities to Aronofsky's "Black Swan." If you enjoyed that one, definitely check out "Climax."

The ending of the film seems less complete than it should, but it's really no big deal, and does not spoil or ruin the rest of the film.

This is one roller coaster I'd happily ride again, and I'd say it is destined to become a midnight cult classic. Keep on dancing.

There is so much energy in Gaspar Noe's Climax that I wanted to jump out of my seat and start dancing to the beats of the continuously humming techno soundtrack. Sadly, my fellow audience wouldn't have let me, but deep inside I believe that if I actually did, they would have only joined me. Such is the power of Noe's beautiful, philosophical, and insane techno-dance thriller that hypnotizes from the first frame itself through its immensely talented actors to the anti-climactic credits placement and shots of textual philosophical one-liners to eventually the conveyance of the moral of the short story. The story about a group of French dancers practicing in an old abandoned school premises for an upcoming tournament so that they can compete with the Yankees and show who rules the dancing world takes an ugly turn when the idiosyncratic characters - not one as same as the other - find out that their cocktail was laced with LSD by someone. Who? Why? These questions is in everyone's mind, but the music never stops and no one is in their right mind to sit and think and investigate. And by the time director Noe ends the shots - most of which are single takes - you realize that what you are seeing in front of you is the definition of intoxication and its consequences in its purest form. Climax is true madness and it will blow you away with its truthfulness. TN.

(Watched and reviewed at its India premiere at the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.)

So I get the premise because I've seen many of of Noe but this was just was too pretentious and trying to neglect character building with the justification of artistry... Dancers aka bad actors(so much overacting here) taking acid and freaking out in a bad trip....Oh and quirky lighting and rotating camera angles that's all. Supposedly an experience rather than a movie but believe me Noe and sooo many others have done so much better at delivering an experience rather than some dark lighting and the classic upside down camera... It would've been better if he just gave some E or acid to the actors and just observe and tape the reactions. Concluding, an pretentious avant garde art experience (whoever has had a fair share of art and experimental cinema will know that it doesn't deserve that title) that doesn't even deliver at least that experience while failing in all the rest. And do some research on drugs next time

Don't listen to the negative reviews. Poole who didn't like it don't understand psychology or art. This is one of the best if not the best psychologically disturbing movies I've ever seen. It is a visual feast. The long tracking shots have never been done like this before. It's a complete descent into madness. I can't wait to wAtch it again.

A French dance troupe's party is wrecked when someone spikes their sangria with LSD.

This is a really well-made film. The visual style will be really familiar to anyone who's seen a Gaspar Noé film. Lots of long long long takes and bright colours and twirling, tumbling cameras.

There are two group dance sequences in this film. They are both utterly phenomenal ... the best thing that this film has to offer,

Noé seems to have never taken LSD, or really know much of anything about it.

I don't find this film to be shocking. Noé kind of lacks the courage of his convictions here. There's a lot of hypothetically shocking stuff in this film, but most of it happens off screen. The last part of this film is mostly people writhing and screaming.

This got old for me pretty fast. About the third time we were following someone down the long green hallway while people screamed in the background, I suspected that there wasn't really going to be any point to this.

I was right. At best, this is a really trite version of "Irreversible".

It's still well-made with a phenomenal soundtrack.