While most of the viewers might enjoy the dark theme of the movie, some viewers may find The Pale Blue Eye scary because of the certain brutal and violent scenes. Additionally, the movie is “R” rated, which means it might not be appropriate to watch for kids under the age of 17. While many Reddit users seek its review, here’s what we think about the movie.
The Pale Blue Eye, a murder mystery on Netflix, is directed by Scott Cooper and centered on Augustus Landor, a renowned investigator who is spending his retirement in New York while being haunted by memories of his daughter Mattie. Leroy Fry, a cadet at the nearby United States Military Academy, is killed, and the former is recruited to solve the murder’s riddle.
Edgar Allan Poe, a young cadet who joins Landor in the investigation of Fry’s death, comes to some shocking conclusions about the retired investigator as a result of their collaboration. The movie delivers rather typical plot developments on a strictly narrative level: a secret note here, an undiscovered wound there, and a secret journal there. However, we’re dealing with a fundamentally comfortable genre in which familiarity is both acceptable and encouraged.
Excited to watch the movie on the streaming platform, we’ve discovered that many people are excited to watch the movie but are scared of the dark theme of the movie. They wonder if the movie is scary. Well, here’s everything you need to know about The Pale Blue Eye.
The Pale Blue Eye: While Most Viewers May Not Find the Movie Really Scary, Some Viewers May Get Threatened by the Brutal and Violent Scenes!
We wouldn’t say The Pale Blue Eye scares the soul out of your body but some viewers will definitely find the movie a little scary. Additionally, you can certainly assume from the narrative and threatening tone of the movie that it won’t be appropriate for a family movie night if you have little children. The Pale Blue Eye has an R rating due to certain brutal and violent scenes. Given its “R” rating, the film might not be appropriate for those under the age of 17.
Parents should proceed with their choice, but Common Sense Media believes that audiences 16 and up may be able to enjoy the movie. The film contains a lot of violence, including suicide, beatings, and several gruesome scenes including close-ups of dead bodies. Blood is seen in several of the cases stated above, including rape. Scary? It depends!! Let’s have a quick review of the movie.
The Pale Blue Eye is set in 1830 and centers on a young Edgar Allan Poe (Harry Melling) as he attends the esteemed West Point Military Academy in America. When fellow cadet Leroy Fry is killed and his heart is taken out of his chest, the brilliant but moody Poe, who had not yet established himself as the gothic literary figure we now know him as, becomes a detective. Then there are more murders.
Poe teams up with former New York investigator Gus Landor (Christian Bale) for help in figuring out the case’s evidence and tracking down the criminal despite the military academy’s rule of silence. Senior West Point authorities have recruited Landor to identify the offender and save the image of the institution from being affected.
The Pale Blue Eye is an overall mature, adult-oriented, and slightly scary film that is unlikely to appeal to young audiences. Even if you think it’s OK for kids to watch, the movie is slow-paced and more than two hours long, so it could not keep their interest.
Is The Pale Blue Eye Based on a True Story?
Unfortunately, despite Poe‘s presence, The Pale Blue Eye isn’t based on a true story. It is a remake of Louis Bayard‘s book of the same name, although Bayard was inspired by Poe’s life to write the story.
Poe really attended the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, as we see in the film. The soon-to-be-famous writer wasn’t exactly the finest match for the academy, as the movie implies. Prior to being court-martialed for flagrant neglect of duty and disobedience of commands for failing to show up for formations, courses, or church, Poe was a cadet for six months. Despite the fact that he knew he would be found guilty and expelled, he pled not guilty to the accusations.
Apart from Poe, every other character in The Pale Blue Eye is a work of fiction, much like the narrative itself. However, Bayard used Poe’s writing as inspiration for the creation of Augustus Landor, the Holmes to Poe’s Watson.
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