Scarlett Johansson in 'Under the Skin': The film about an alien is boring
A movie called 鈥淯nder the Skin鈥� starring Scarlett Johansson ought to be a lot less boring than this one. Director Jonathan Glazer, who made the far superior 鈥淪exy Beast,鈥� wades waist-deep in existential goo in this (sort of) sci-fi story about an extraterrestrial (Johansson) who prowls the streets of rural Scotland looking to lure clueless men into oblivion. Each man ends up in her lair, a kind of nouveau black-on-black dungeon that swallows up the poor guys without her ever laying a hand on them.
It鈥檚 admirable that Johansson should be so willing to go off the Hollywood grid, but the truth is, 鈥淯nder the Skin鈥� would have been a lot better if it wasn鈥檛 so excruciatingly arty. If you鈥檙e looking for a new Scarlett Johansson movie to see this weekend, see 鈥淐aptain America鈥� instead. At least she鈥檚 playing a terrestrial in that one. (And if you won鈥檛 feel cheated seeing Johansson in a movie in which only her voice makes an appearance, catch up with 鈥淗er,鈥� where she plays a computer operating system.) Grade: D+ (Rated R for graphic nudity, sexual content, some violence and language.)
