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A mind-bending sci-fi horror film starring Scarlett Johansson has been added to Amazon Prime Video in the UK.
Directed by Jonathan Glazer, his 2013 feature Under the Skin follows a shape-shifting creature as it stalks the streets of Scotland.
Played by the Avengers star, ‘The Female’ seduces lonely, isolated men before luring them into a pocket dimension where she then kills them.
Its otherwise unknown cast includes Jeremy McWilliams as The Bad Man, Dougie McConnell as Pick-Up Man, and Kevin McAlinden as the aptly-named ‘First Victim.’
While the film (adapted from a novel by Michael Faber) struggled to recoup its $13.3million (£9.9million) budget, it was a critical hit – and currently boasts a score of 83% ‘fresh’ on Rotten Tomatoes.
Nearly thirteen years since its release, and the film is now streaming on Amazon Prime, where it can get under viewers’ skin once more.
Upon its release in 2014, critics were largely positive, with Deep Focus Review describing it as ‘one of the most important sci-fi pictures in recent memory.’
Meanwhile, New York Magazine said it was ‘mesmerizing,’ while sharing how it ‘casts an otherworldly spell’ on the soul.
Los Angeles Times called it a ‘genesis moment’ for filmmaking, with IONCinema praising it as ‘surreal, scintillating, and unforgettably strange.’
Adding to a chorus of praise for Johansson’s performance, Rolling Stone described the actress as ‘phenomenal,’ while London Evening Standard said that she was ‘disturbingly good’ at playing the alien life form.
Writing for Metro, Larushka Ivan-Zadeh called it a ‘mysterious masterpiece,’ which was ‘intoxicatingly stylish’ and ‘way too weird to win Oscars.’
While Under the Skin did indeed fail to make a showing at that year’s Oscars, it received a number of accolades after its release – including the London Film Critics Circle Award for British Film of the Year and the European Film Award for Best Soundtrack.
Indeed, its surrealist lens might explain its more lukewarm audience score of 55% from Rotten Tomatoes’ non-professional user base.
While some criticised its ‘slow,’ ‘depressingly pretentious’ and ‘remarkably vague’ plotting, many remain intoxicated by its strange charm.
This includes Rotten Tomatoes user Freya, who described it as a ‘completely misunderstood masterpiece’ and ‘an interesting twist on humanity and stereotypes in our modern society.’
Branding it a ‘must-see,’ Ashley C hit back at accusations that it’s too slow for comfort, calling the overall experience ‘life-changing.’
‘It’s WEIRD. But that’s good,’ agreed Chris O, while Ryan D praised it as ‘one of the most unique sci-fi movies I have ever seen.’
At the time of the film’s release, Johansson shared her experience filming on the streets of Scotland – where, with the director and crew hiding, secretly filming, the A-list Hollywood actress went entirely unnoticed.
‘If people aren’t expecting you to be there, then you’re somehow not part of their reality,’ she said.
Relating the film to her own mega-fame, she added: ‘I see some of the young actors and young celebrities today desperately trying to fit back into society, which I totally understand.
‘But really, once you accept your fate as someone who’s a recognisable person, who’s no longer anonymous, I think you have a much easier time fitting in than if you are constantly trying to be “normal.”‘
Under the Skin is streaming now on Amazon Prime in the UK.
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