Customer Reviews

2081 | based on Kurt Vonnegut's "Harrison Bergeron"

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Vonnegut fans will appreciate this well done rendition despite the short duration of the film. Clocking in at only 25 minutes, 2081 is not exactly enough to fill "movie night" but what it lacks in length it more than makes up for in substance. For those that wonder how well the somewhat elusive and reflective nature of the story will play out on film...the answer is "surprisingly well".

The premise is simple enough, a dystopian future where equality for all has finally been realized through the use of facial masks for the beautiful, body weights for the strong and neural impediments for the smart. Those extraordinary individuals who cannot conform to mediocrity are subject to state sponsored rehabilitation that borders on torture.

Although set in the future, the thought provoking premise will leave some viewers wondering if the future is already upon us.

I first read "Harrison Bergeron" in my ninth grade English class seven years ago and have re-read it every couple of years since. When I saw the mindblowing trailer for "2081" last year I could not wait to see the film. After months of waiting the DVD was finally released. To say that it did not disappoint would be an understatement of epic proportions. I was blown away by the film, easily one of the best book-to-film adaptations I have seen. Vonnegut's films have generally been adapted terribly in the past, and this is probably the first one I've seen that really works. Every bit of the brilliance of Vonnegut's story shines through in the film, and the few departures from the source material are basically just tweaks to modernize the story and ground it a bit more in reality.

It's short (about 25 min), but to have made it any longer would have required adding original story material and would have adulterated Vonnegut's beautifully concise story. There was a feature length adaptation of Harrison Bergeron in the 90's that tried this (starring Christopher Plummer and Sean Astin) quite unsuccessfully. Even with a great cast and much bigger budget, Harrison Bergeron did not work as a feature film. But at 25 minutes, 2081 thrives as an entirely self-contained narrative set in a fully-realized dystopian world. It is a truly beautiful film and was obviously a labor of love for the filmmakers. There are no cut corners to clue you off that this is an indie film, and the production values rival those of any big-budget theatrical feature.

The cast is pitch-perfect. Armie Hammer - who is currently getting Oscar buzz for his role in The Social Network - headlines as Harrison Bergeron. He could not have better cast in the role. Rounding out the stellar ensemble, you'll notice quite a few other familiar faces of fantastic character actors that everyone will recognize but even if you don't know their names The casting truly could not have been more perfect.

The score is beautifully performed by the superlative Kronos Quartet (Requiem for a Dream) and is easily the best that I have heard in a short film. Seriously. Epic. It puts to shame all but the most epic Hans Zimmer-style big screen feature scores. I have seriously not enjoyed a score this much since "The Dark Knight." Listen to the trailer for a sample if you don't believe me. WHEN will this soundtrack be available on iTunes????

The visuals are mesmerizing, dark, and beautiful. Top notch in every regard. This film could not be more relevant to the national conversation today. I still can't believe this is a short film. Are short films supposed to be this good?

First time director Chandler Tuttle is most definitely guy to watch.

COMPLAINTS: STANDARD DEFINITION? Where is the HD guys? This gorgeous film is sadly only available in SD and never quite reaches its full potential on my 1080P plasma. Hopefully enough people buy it in SD for the distributor to wise up and re-release it HD on Blu-Ray soon.

VERDICT: 4.5/5 stars (would have been a perfect 5/5 if it was in HD)

VALUE: 2081 IS TOTALLY worth the [...] rental price. [...] to buy a permanent digital copy isn't bad either. The film practically demands repeat viewing, so you'll definitely get your money's worth out of buying it. Personally I only prefer VOD for rentals and gravitate toward DVD and Blu-Ray discs whenever I'm buying to own. Call me old fashioned, but I prefer to own things that I can actually hold (and that will preferably look spiffy on my bookshelf), so I opted to pay an extra few bucks for the DVD.

I've been teaching Kurt Vonnegut's "Harrison Bergeron" for several years now in intro-English college/university courses. It's a student favorite, and so when I saw the preview for this film a year ago, I was very excited. The long wait has been worth it. "2081" is both an excellent adaptation of, as well as able departure from Vonnegut's short story. I cannot recommend it enough for English instructors, both secondary and post-secondary. At 25 minutes, the movie matches the short story in concision, storyline, and almost all of the dialogue. The differences are commendable, and make for a worthwhile study of why filmmakers employ different devices to tell the same story as a writer. The inclusion of a bomb-threat seems initially sensational, but in the final reveal, is true to the theme of media Vonnegut explored in the short story. The theme of equality, while not lost, takes a backstage to media in this version, and perhaps rightly so, both given that it IS part of that medium (we are watching an indictment of screen-media on the same type of screen), and because it is more relevant to 21st century audiences (this is not to say that equality has ceased to be relevant, simply that it has been explored in other films ad nauseum). In short, this short film is worth every penny if you teach the story. And for those of you who don't, I can only say that it is a challenging little film: do not expect this one to go over well with your Saturday night movie night unless you like to have discussion afterward.

A word about casting: I couldn't have chosen a better actress than Julie Haggerty for Hazel, who is likely an homage to Gracie Burns.

A note to those who have never read the short story: aside from a few plot devices and tonal changes, this film is very much like the original text. Don't go expecting them to make a longer version, as there isn't such a thing. Besides, we saw the mess that a long version of this tale could become in the version starring Sean Astin.

Anyone not familiar with Kurt Vonnegut's short story, Harrison Bergeron, will be slightly--but only slightly--off balance. Think of the premise as Vonnegut's take on 1984, or even Animal Farm.

The casting here is spot-on, the cinematography that of a much higher budget production. As a matter of fact, all the production values are those of a much higher budget film. Direction is strong, and the performances are as nuanced as can be in this type of serious, cautionary tale satire.

A highlight is the use of Kronos Quartet. The music is absolutely an uncredited character in the short.

This film is, in case you don't know, sort of a cinematic variation of [...]--an end run around the studio system, by Independent Film Institute. This alone is enough reason to pick up a copy. Breaking the studios' strangle hold on content will be a breakthrough for film.

Attention English teachers! If you teach "Harrison Bergeron" you must purchase this DVD. It is true to Vonnegut's short story and is perfect for classroom viewing at only 25 minutes long. It is extremely well done. I highly recommend adding this DVD to your collection.

I've only just seen this short film moments ago. The reaction is still sinking in. It was poignant and moving, a powerful message I really felt. Our gifts are beautiful and should be marveled at and embraced not hidden for the sake of equality. Fight those that would control us and contain us, robbing us of our intelligence and our gifts.

I literally just finished watching it. This short film is so emotional I was kept close to tears for almost all of it. Every character is relatable and the tragedy comes when you know then ending before it happens. A wonderful piece of artwork and I am proud to add it to my Vonnegut Collection.

Overall a great adaptation of the classic short story, "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut; a cautionary tale of government intrusion into individual's lives for the sake of the collective.

Production values are very high here and that's appreciated for a short film, where you might expect less than stellar look-and-feel. As others have pointed out, the score for this film is just superb. The spirit of the short story is here as well, and that's appreciated. However, it is missing a certain je ne sais quoi that leaves me wanting more, it really isn't as moving as the text itself.

This dystopian vision of the future is portrayed with chilling naturalism, and for twenty-five minutes or so you are a witness to a father's nightmare as he watches helplessly his son's final act of personal freedom and ultimate execution by the forces of state 'normality'. Kurt Vonnegut's story is surely up there for being one of the best 'futuristic' tales of the twentieth century, and this short film does the story almost full justice(the dance scene in the story is not captured on film as well as it might have been). Overall this is well worth a look at, and, if you are a teacher of Literature in English as I am then this is well worth having as a DVD resource. Not a film to enjoy, but a piece to cherish nonetheless as a cautionary tale. J. Bourke (Ireland).

I bought this to show to my students who recently read "Harrison Bergeron" and I was so impressed by the quality of the film! It was very well done and I would recommend it to anyone!