Blu Review: Objectified (2009)

January 21, 2013 Blu Review, Home Video No Comments

Cast: Paola Antonelli, Chris Bangle, Andrew Blauvelt
Director: Gary Hustwit
Country: USA
Genre: Documentary
Official Trailer: Here

Video codec: MPEG-2
Video resolution: 1080p
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1

English: Dolby Digital 5.1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0

Editor’s Notes: Objectified released on Blu Ray from New Video Group on November 6th, 2012.

The synopsis on this Blu-ray is quite misleading because the reading of it comes across as how objects own our lives and that they’re very controlling whether we realize it or not. What follows is very surface level about that idea but instead is a film about patting the back of designers who create the things we use. It’s incredibly disappointing when being misled into believing that there’ll be an insight into how the world looks into our consumerism, our necessity for things, how these things control us. Instead, what you get is a documentary about the creation of objects which can be quite interesting but most of the times is about stroking the egos of those who create every day things that we take for granted and how their underrated geniuses. Self-indulgent to say the least.

As it scans past items, lingering over the finer details of products that you might not have noticed or not properly appreciated it excels in this but when it comes down to the philosophy of design it stops being properly insightful but a chance for designers to soak in their own genius by telling you in lengthy, empty monologues.

The highlight of the film is its visuals. The aesthetics are stunning - especially in Blu-ray quality - with sharp images that track products and production lines by making them something to really enjoy looking at which is its strongest point. It is as visually stunning as all the products it’s trying to endorse. As it scans past items, lingering over the finer details of products that you might not have noticed or not properly appreciated it excels in this but when it comes down to the philosophy of design it stops being properly insightful but a chance for designers to soak in their own genius by telling you in lengthy, empty monologues.

Although the director, Gary Hustwit, is trying to thread together a documentary filled with intellect and appreciation of a field that is lacking the latter, it ends up not intellectualizing as intended; everything is a barely recognizable scratch on a surface something so vast and deep that it’s completely disengaging and disappointing. Times there are designers that bring up parts which ARE interesting and ARE engaging but it happens only twice maybe three times in a film that sits around with designers spilling words constantly yet they all theorize the same things in the same way: their philosophy of design. Everything else is rarely involved making this a massive disappointment. A lackluster attempt at what could’ve been a captivating documentary that is poorly designed unlike the products it aims to big up.

38/100 ~ AWFUL. Although the director, Gary Hustwit, is trying to thread together a documentary filled with intellect and appreciation of a field that is lacking the latter, it ends up not intellectualizing as intended; everything is a barely recognizable scratch on a surface something so vast and deep that it’s completely disengaging and disappointing.