To put it mildly, this is the performance of Emma Stone’s career. I actually think she transcends this film. poor Things is a wild and crazy ride, one that absolutely needs audio description if you are blind or visually impaired. this feels like a visual stunner, something you feel through the outstanding audio description this track does really well. I actually bought a digital copy of this, but it is also currently available on Hulu.

Emma Stone plays Bella Baxter, a woman who we see commits suicide at the top of the film. However, her body is still pretty undamaged, and the local mad scientist (Willem Defoe), rescues her and makes her into a science experiment, which arguably he is one himself. Bella’s brain is replaced with that of the brain of the child she was carrying at the time, which is why Bella acts like a newborn discovering life at the beginning of the film. this really isn’t spoiler territory, as it is all covered at the beginning before anyone else comes into play. Long before Mark Ruffalo hits the stage.

Bella is shown gradually exploring, learning, and developing her own way of doing things and finding her way in the world. but, she starts to find her sexual awakening around the same time Duncan (Mark Ruffalo) stumbles on scene, and the movie becomes a broader adventure with Bella setting out to explore the world.

There is a lot of sex in this film, which I don’t have a problem with, but some people do. If you are thinking about things like “should i watch with my parents?” “My kid?” Or “on a first date?”, my answer would be that there are probably better choices. I couldn’t imagine watching this with my Mom, I can’t imagine anyone with half a brain showing this to anyone under at LEAST 13. You will have a lot of explaining to do. And, as a first date movie, you are setting the bar for something I think.

But lovers of film should watch this. It is one of the best movies of 2023, highly imaginative in nature, despite being an adapted screenplay. It takes risks, bold and big ones, and features terrific performances. However, none is more outstanding than Emma Stone, who not just has to act like a child, but as Bella develops, so does her speech pattern. She ends up with this accent that seems like it is from everywhere and nowhere, and she’s pitching her voice in a lower tone. it is an exceptional and transformative performance, and she absolutely deserved that Oscar. She’s better here than la La Land.

This would not be possible without the bold direction of Yorgos Lanthrimos, who really strives to put a vision of Tony McNamara’s script onto the screen in a way that is distinct and memorable.The set design is remarkable, the production design with the various creatures walking about is bonkers, and the score to this is the most original anti-score I’ve heard in a long time. It is so unlike your typical scores that you’ll either love it or hate it, but it feels very specific, and instantly tied to this film. It’s not something you could get mixed up with another film’s score.

The audio description captured all of this in all the best ways. The costumes, the set, the sex, all of that was a given. but what I loved was the added attempts at bringing the directors intent, like with mentions of using a specific fish eye lens to shoot something, or the mention of transition from black and white to color. Poor Things has one of the most well made tracks of the year.

I don’t care that I’m late to the party, because this is a forever movie. poor Things will be remembered ten, twenty years from now, and that longevity in a streaming era is almost impossible to guarantee. but choices this daring and fresh are the kinds that new filmmakers are inspired by, and they use this as their influence. This will do for Yorgos what Pulp Fiction did for Quentin Tarantino. Neither are first films, but both are destined to remain a fixture of cinema.

Final Grade: A