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Finally went to see it today. If you're planning on seeing it, don't read the plot spoilers in white.

I'm not really sure how I feel about the film as a whole. On the one hand, there are some fantastic bits in it (particularly towards the end when everything goes full on ******** up) but there's also a lot of really ridiculous s**t happening that kinda ruins it.

I also think Natalie Portman did a good job but felt her character was too young for her. Part of that was supposed to be the point, that Nina's this closeted frigid little girl who needs to sexually mature I guess, but I didn't think Portman was well suited to that. Her best acting is in the bits where she's fully the 'black swan' and basically deranged. The rest of it is very derp and unconvincing all like "oh look at me I'm all innocent and pure and virginal with my single pouty sad face".

I dunno, I can't bring myself to really like it. The pacing is really really bizarre. The first half is just mediocre and boring, then the second half is just like watching a car accelerate and accelerate until it blows up into a million pieces. The second half descends into this manic B-movie type of horror crap, there was just too much of it. It might have been good if there was less and if it was more subtle, but it was really sudden and just soooo much of it. spoilers: One second it's WOMAN STABBING FACE then it's MOTHER BREAKING HAND then it's ******** UP RED EYES and then it's SMASHING s**t UP and then it's HOLY s**t DID SHE MURDER SOMEONE? then it's OH ******** THAT'S SUICIDE and there's just too much all at once. I think for a psychological horror to really work, the tension has to build up and sneak up on you unexpectedly; Black Swan seems to think that if you don't include any weird s**t at the beginning (besides the odd scratches which was too overplayed and obvious), suddenly unleashing it all at once will scare people.

Also ******** shaky cam. I don't know if the film was supposed to be really grainy or whether it was just the terrible cinema I went to (probably the latter), but that was pretty distracting. Cinematography was all over the place. Some parts brilliant, particularly the second half, and the lighting is really something special towards the end... but other times it felt shabby and poorly shot. Like the strobe lighting part is just too obvious, why can't they ever show a party scene without that stupid strobe lighting effect? I know clubs are like that but ffs it's a movie, it's really not that enjoyable.

But I suppose the one thing I really really liked was how they handled the theme of perfection, and how her insanity is showcased by random imperfections like scratches or bloody nails. Oh god the scene where she pulls her skin down her ******** that was the worst part of the whole film for me. Nothing was particularly scary but goddamn that is a horrible scene. So I guess that's the redeeming factor.

Overall, I'd give it like a 7/10.

I remember after watching Requiem for a Dream that I didn't immediately like it, but after a few days, it kinda sunk in and was more palatable. But I loved The Fountain, because it wasn't so "IN YOUR FACE" and more just "ahhh so sublime". I think Black Swan is more similar to Requiem in that respect, because having had a night to dwell on it, I do like it a bit more.

As for the teenager spite crap...I will admit I'm a bit of a movie snob. I really prefer watching movies that are critically acclaimed, because more often than not, that coincides with my tastes. I don't know if that's teenage spite or not, because on the one hand, most of the teens I know go for popularist dumb s**t like Big Momma's House or films like that...but then I go for stuff that's well-liked by critics, so uh, it's popularist in that sense. But it's more just that I feel like I'm going to invest time into a movie, it better be engaging and make me think, rather than some dumb slapstick movie.

And yes, the beginning sequence was very nicely done. I also liked the final ballet performance, particularly when she does the black swan part and her whole body morphs into all those black feathers, then it cuts to her on stage without feathery arms but the shadows are still feathery. Beautiful beautiful scene that was.

Honestly I don't think I noticed the music until right at the end, during the final ballet performance. I don't think I can give points for that though, because obviously it's a performance of Swan Lake, so it's going to have the Swan Lake music, which is always lovely anyway.

I loved Black Swan. Granted, it was incredibly mentally draining to watch and it freaked me the ******** out, but it was a very well put-together movie.

It's been about a month since I've watched it, but one of the things that struck me was how something would happen, but seconds later it would be pretty clear that whatever happened was just an illusion. Like her picking at her fingers, oh my god.

Also, I think it's important that things go slowly at the beginning (even though I didn't have any problems at all with the pacing...). I personally wouldn't have been affected as much by it if I had known from the start that Nina was crazy, or would go crazy. It also helps to show that the descent into madness starts out subtly, but by the time it's really noticeable, it's too late to do anything.

And ******** all the music was perfect. I'd never heard the Swan Lake music before, but it just seemed to fit so well with what happened.

All in all, I thought it was a great movie, but I probably couldn't stand to watch it more than a few times because it drained me so much.

6/10
I thought it was eerie yet predictable.