The Adjustment Bureau - wtf?

Just went to see the Adjustment Bureau this evening, and it really it was essentially a pile of shit. I feel a bit cheated because I really had an open mind going to the film, and I had no idea what it was supposed to be about. And actually the actors are pretty alright, it just leaves you wondering what the hell was the point of all that.

Firstly this film is not, as it would appear from the posters, an action film. Unless of course your notion of action is matt damon running through doors wearing a hat - and that really only happens at the climactic sequence towards the end of the film. So even if you're into hat clad, door opening sequences you will have to sit through a lot to get there. What this film is, is a sort of veiled, romantic melodrama.

So there's this thing about romance films, when telling the story of two people's romance it's necessary to examine (or at least have) obstacles to their being together - so lots of films they're with other people or there's a hilarious/tragic set of misunderstanding. This is one of the reasons why period dramas are popular romantic tales to tell as social class and rigid social norms often act as these obstacles. This film has the most contrived set of obstacles to romance you could imagine - it's a big giant bureaucratic conspiracy/god + angels/pseudo-matrix Mr Smith & friends - who are hell bent on keeping Matt Damon and Emily Blunt apart, because er... thingy.... oh yeah.... he like could be president... and like if they got married, he might not be arsed running for president... or maybe it's something else... like she wouldn't become a famous dancer... or something.... no-one's really sure. And I will admit that I have just spoiled the plot of the film for any would-be viewers. I'd feel guilty except I'm sure I couldn't spoil "the plot" worse than the film did.

I will say that it's a reasonably well made pile of shite, but a pile of shite nonetheless!