The Movie Diorama At the time of this review, this is my first Gilliam film. Having heard how zany 'Brazil' and 'Twelve Monkeys' were, I thought to attempt one of his flicks. So the uninitiated has now become...initiated. And honestly I didn't know what to expect. A recluse computer genius is tasked with cracking The Zero Theorem, a theory set out to prove the meaning of life. "Zero must equal 100%", a line of dialogue that is often referred to throughout the runtime of this zany sci-fi flick. Conceptualising the idea that everything is nothing, Gilliam bravely thematically questions why we live and what purpose we have in the grand scheme of things. Unfortunately though, the themes are sacrificed to make way for his trademark quirks. The flamboyant set designs, vibrant costumes and dystopian production enhances the aesthetic appeal that most Gilliam fans desire. It harks back to classic 80s sci-fi whilst implementing modernised technologies including virtual reality and mathematical equations attached to cubes within a computer simulation that amalgamate to make an impossible theorem. The program that contains the formulae was strangely hypnotising, following floating cubes in a cubic infrastructure was a rather weird experience. Reminded me of a Windows 98 screensaver. The acting was fantastic all round, particularly Waltz who's central performance deftly carries the whole film. Swinton performs a rap song by the way, that's more than enough reasoning to go out and watch this. I appreciated the subtle comedic undertone that the narrative upholds, however beneath the authentic aesthetics is a fictionalised idea that gets lost. It's muddled and unfortunately lacks clarity. The last ten minutes will leave you wondering "what the heck is going on right now?" as you admire Waltz's committed performance. Social themes of loneliness and stress, whilst are casually explored, aren't put to use to develop the characters further. The Zero Theorem certainly isn't getting a zero from me, but it's style over substance.

rodrig58 I watched it without knowing that it was shot in the city where I was born, Bucharest, just near the area where I lived in my childhood and my youth (41 Grigore Cobalcescu Street, Bucharest, Romania) and, the culmination of the absurd, near the communist horror called Carol Park Mausoleum (Carol Park, Bucharest, Romania) and inside the Romanian Athenaeum. I recognized all these places only watching the movie, then I've seen the end credits and after that I checked on IMDb. Many Romanians worked on this film, actors, and the technical team. Great job! But all the glory goes to those four main actors, Christoph Waltz, David Thewlis, Melanie Thierry and Lucas Hedges, all four very good. And to Mr. Director Terry Gilliam, of course. Matt Damon and Tilda Swinton have smaller roles but, no less charming. Very original!

gcsman Saying that this is a Terry Gilliam film tells you a lot about what to expect: offbeat and sometimes downright weird visuals, nonlinear dialog, an obscure plot (if there even is one). Not to everyone's taste though.Qohen (Christoph Waltz) has been tasked by Management (a barely recognizable Matt Damon, who's certainly an odd choice for a Terry Gilliam script -- he's just too down-to-earth) to prove the Zero Theorem, which means that everything there is will add up ultimately to nothing. Working on the 'proof' seems to consist of a video-game-gone-wild where he must move blocks of preset equations around in a vast landscape of similar blocks. But every one of his attempts just ends in frustration and feeds his natural tendency to spiritual malaise and depression. Or something. It all seems rather aimless, which Management seemed to know all along. Young Bob (Lukas Hedges) drops in occasionally to stimulate Qohen intellectually, and Bainsley (Melanie Thierry) comes by for stimulation on the emotional++ side. But ultimately our hero still seems to prefer isolation.For the sets, think Blade Runner as rendered by a cartoonist on LSD. There's occasional absurdist humor, which is all in the backgrounds -- such as when Bob and Qohen are sitting in a town plaza where a phalanx of 'Forbidden' signs disallows every conceivable kind of activity appropriate for a community park, or even inactivity. And we get some genuinely arresting visuals along the way, such as the Virtual Reality beach of lurid colors where Qohen spends down time, or the giant black hole that haunts his dreams. These lead to a VR-within-VR fantasy scene where Qohen and Bainsley cling naked to each other while falling in to the same black hole.If you want linear storytelling, this isn't it. At the end I was left wondering what the point was -- any kind of point. The supposedly deep philosophical questions raised about life, the universe, human connections don't seems to go beyond sophomoric meandering. For the sake of the visuals though, I give this 5/10.

Screen_Blitz Director Terry Gilliam brings his trademark of bizarre, supernatural imagery to the spotlight in this science-fiction thriller that tackles on complex scientific and philosophical subjects including astrophysics, psychology, existentialism, and religious ordeals while adopting a surreal visual style that sadly tower over its narrative heft. Two-time Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz plays Qohen, a socially introverted computer operator living in a world where computers dominate just about everyone's day-to-day life and copes with his problems by seeking mental help from a therapist run by artificial intelligence. While at work, Qohen is invited to a party by his supervisor Joby (played by David Flewlis) where he meets quirky prostitute Bainsley (played by Melanie Thierry). As he develops a reluctant relationship with her, Qohen is tasked by a scientist named Management (played by solve the Zero Theorem: a scientific theory of the universe ending at absolutely ending, and receives the help from no one other than young computer hacker Bob (played by Lucas Hedges), but also distraction by his lover Bainsley who uses his research for personal purposes.Bizarre is probably the most accurate word to describe this film judging by its abnormal, quirky, futuristic production design as well as its surreal imagery and nifty costume designs even the most avid sci-fi fans don't see everyday. Terry Gilliam boasts a unique taste in visual heft that is too difficult to ignore, but the narrative generated by Pat Rushin's screenplay suffers at a wide scope. Though the plot kicks off with an astonishing, if complex premise, it's not long before it is lost in a sea of convoluted story elements dealing with its surreal and scientific complex themes. Throughout the entirety, the film tries so hard to build up a strong and intriguing story that tackles compelling concepts of existentialism , astrophysics, and religion as it deals with the main character solving the meaning of life (a plot shows resemblance to a verse in the Book of Eccesiastes) and doesn't shy away from being the complicated territory, but it gradually grows uneven and widely ambiguous, and at times severely unfocused. The romance between Christoph Waltz and Melanie Thierry should have been meshed with the story but ultimately gets increasingly distracting to the plot as the film fails balance this romantic subplot to the main plot. In the end, it not only resulted in many unanswered questions but a simply messy plot. The performances by Waltz and Thierry are decent and shine some redeeming quality to the picture, but the rest is set to leave viewers in a disappointment.The Zero Theorem is a bit of a disappointing entry by Terry Gilliam and isn't granted much justice by the cast performances, though they are strong enough to gain attention. This is a film that may please some, particularly fans of Gilliam but leave others with a cold shoulder.