Zodiac Review

Americans have grown use to 90 minute movies, 120 minutes are sustainable, but anything over 150 minutes better be downright entertaining in every aspect to keep our short term attention span. We our a society that wants instant pleasure, and gratificaiton. Now when a movie comes out that is listed at 160 minutes long, there better be at least an intermission. This all leads to the drug out, endless, no conclusion movie. I mean if we are going to have a movie that is over 2 and half hours long there better be a damn conclusion. Sorry if I ruined it for you, but it is pretty much general knowledge if you were even at all interested in the whole Zodiac craze, that the killer was never actually caught. Ok, now that I have complained enough about the time span let's get into the movie. Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jr., play splendid parts. Both are perfect for their roles, Glyllenhaal plays the obessed cartoonist, Robert Graysmith who the whole story is focused around. Robert Downey Jr. is the alcoholic journalist (Paul Avery) who's life pretty much falls apart becaues of the Zodiac case. The first hour is pretty entertaining, leaving out the opening scene with the jazz music in the background that makes you just want to go buy a $6.00 soda just to throw it at the screen. The zodiac case is interesting from the start but goes down hill quite fast just like the movie. The first few years and cases are intriguing, but then the killer stops, and all the people involved with the case become affected mentally as you will to after the second hour. After the first 90 minutes it just starts to circle around the dreadful lives of those who became obsessed with the case. Unless you are a Zodiac crazy as well, there is no need to sit down and watch this movie for that long. Cut out one hour, most from the end, and this movie gets a 4.5 out of 5. I give it a 3 out of 5. I hope Fincher realizes that even the most intense movies with hardcore battles can be too long, this has no action and too many slow, unimportant scenes.