Bliss is the new Amazon Prime Original Movie that unfortunately is a knock off version of The Matrix and feels and looks like a sluggish Sci-Fi film. With two fantastic actors in Salma Hayek and Owen Wilson starring, you would hope they could bring to life a mind-bending love story, but sadly this is not the case.
Written by Joe Brown
The plot of Bliss sees an unfulfilled man named Greg Wittle (Owen Wilson) who meets a mysterious woman called Isabel Clemens (Salma Hayek). She tells him that the world they are living in is a simulation. With crystals that they consume, they are taken to a world filled with everything they could imagine. But when this newfound happiness starts to deteriorate, both of them must decide what is real and which world do they belong in.
The main issue with this film is that it doesn't know what it wants to be, there are so many elements that do not make sense, and this creates a displeasing watch. Throughout, the different elements and themes do not build to a satisfactory conclusion of the movie. There are so many different ideas, in just 104 minutes, but they have no sense of cohesion. It's clear that the people who created this film were trying to be original and fresh but they completely missed the mark.
During the first half of the film we literally have no idea what is going on, which actually creates some sort of feeling of wanting to understand. The film doesn't look all that bad, there are definitely moments of real beauty and the cinematography was intriguing to say the least.
But sadly there is no big reveal or moment that allows this film to click, which is the hallmark of good mind-bending experience. The narrative is halfway through before we get to the place filled with Bliss, thus the pacing hinders the film. Furthermore, the film doesn't allow the actors to show off their skills. The dialogue felt cheesy and there were no moments for them to shine and this is a big negative when they have actors such as Wilson and Hayek on set.
Bliss has an excellent cast, and the trailer is engaging, so undoubtedly it will reach an audience. But the convoluted story line, mixed with lacklustre dialogue, makes for a disappointing movie and a confusing watch.