DVD Review: Poor Things is a Weird Fairytale
Steampunk meets Frankenstein in filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos’ fairytale Poor Things. Starring Emma Stone, this movie was certainly a strange and unexpected journey. Read on for a review of the movie Poor Things releasing on DVD and Blu-ray March 12, 2024.
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In this Frakenstein-esque tale, a doctor ( Willem Dafoe) named Godwin or “God” as some call him brings a young woman who he names Bella Baxter (Emma Stone) back to life. She is curious about the world and behaves as if a child would, throwing tantrums and other antisocial behavior. After some time, Godwin brings on a student named Max McCandles (Ramy Youssef) to help study Bella. He ends up falling in love with Bella and when they become engaged, Godwin hires a swarmy lawyer Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo) to draw up terms of the marriage who ends up running away with the world-curious Bella.
Wedderburn and Baxter explore Lisbon and Bella explores her sexuality but as she seeks out more knowledge about the world, Wedderburn becomes uncomfortable. To control Bella, he tricks her into getting on a ship to Greece and Bella meets more people that make her curious to see how others live. After Wedderburn loses his money the two end up in Paris where Bella turns to prostitution (on her terms, of course) and Wedderburn turns to madness.
Emma Stone is strong in Poor Things and the role is very physical, from her disjointed walk to her head swivels and head cocks throughout the film. While Stone is the main character and commands the beginning of the film, the second Mark Ruffalo steps into the scenes he steals the movie. His dastardly version of a sleazy lawyer who runs off with Bella is both hilarious and intriguing because he’s not necessarily bad, he has just met his absolute match in Bella. I never thought that huggable Ruffalo could do lecherous well, but he is phenomenal in this role. His machismo act slowly breaks down as Bella explores the world and her free will.
Duncan Wedderburn’s descent into madness comes just as swiftly as Bella’s education in female sexuality and choosing the life she wants to live. The more Bella forges her path, the more Wedderburn becomes unreasonable and physically unkempt. Ruffalo is easily the most entertaining character of this movie and it’s not surprising that he has earned several nominations for this role.
Visually, Poor Things is a delight. With fish eye and keyhole camera shots, this feels like a steampunk lover’s dream. My favorite scenes are those of Bella and Duncan on the ship, with the lush blues of the sea and the oranges of the sunsets. These shots are a stark contrast to the black and white shots that correlate to Bella with the mind of a child, and the movie becomes more vivid as Bella becomes more educated about the world.
The third act with Christopher Abbott makes the movie feel too long and it’s hard to care about his character who is pretty vile. I do think that Poor Things feels weird and unique, it doesn’t come close to the performances in Killers of the Flower Moon in terms of the emotional journey it has viewers go through.
Poor Things will be available from all major digital retailers including Prime Video, Apple TV and Vudu on February 27 and will be available on Blu-ray and DVD from March 12, with exclusive bonus content.
Bonus Features*
Featurettes
- Possessing Beauty – The Making of Poor Things. Join Yorgos Lanthimos, Emma Stone, cast and crew in the making of this fantastical film. Explore the costumes, makeup and prosthetics in detail. Take a tour with Willem Dafoe and see how Godwin and Bella’s home mirrors and accommodates them both.
Deleted Things
- Brothel Doctor
- Alfie’s Chapter
- Bella’s Notebook
* Bonus features vary by product and retailer
