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Kline 1 Daniel Kline English 101, Section 3 Professor Bolton 11 February 2014 Dj Vu: More than a psychological phenomena?

Dj Vu is a psychological thriller about a detective attempting to solve the mystery behind a terrorist attack in New Orleans. After finding the body of a woman who washes ashore shortly before the ferry explosion, Officer Doug Carlin discovers a secret agency who's machines have the ability to travel back in time and observe the crime scene and volunteers to be sent back himself. Now arriving on the morning of the explosion, he and Claire (the woman he rescues from the terrorist's grasp) fight to stop the terrorist attack before it begins. The movie is a clever spin off of the traditional "time machine" idea, but do the good elements of the film outweigh the bad? Dj Vu was a great movie because it was clever and well-thought out; however, it has holes that may cripple its impact. The first thing that makes Dj Vu an enjoyable experience is its cleverness. It is not every day that a film reveals the end surprise within the first few minutes very subtly, but Dj Vu makes an art of it. From the mysterious woman who leaves a voicemail on Officer Carlins phone to the "survivor" asking to speak with him, the twists are obviously seen but not noticed until they are revisited in the past. When Officer Carlin is investigating the post-attack crime scene in Claires house, he sees bloody cloths and bandages in the trash bin that are actually from his past self. The audience is left with their heads spinning and imaginations running to figure

Kline 2 out what tragedy happens at Claires house, until they see that it was only Officer Carlins past self recovering from a wound while rescuing Claire. Another new element is that Claire, who is dead when the audience first meets her, becomes a prominent character against all odds. Like an immense riddle, this clever film challenges the audience to continue thinking even after the credits finish rolling. In addition to its clever approach, Dj Vu was well executed when approaching its audience with an impossibly twisted plot. The writers take advantage of Officer Carlin's confusion and lack-of-Ph.D. to spell out the premise of the time machine so that even a child can understand. Many key phrases and terms are repeated up to five times in a row as emphasis- a corny, yet effective method of getting a difficult point across. Dj Vu also devotes a sizable portion of its runtime to explanatory dialogue and personal investigation made by Officer Carlin. Time spent away from the twists gives the audience an oasis of thought to recuperate from the mind-bending puzzles they had just faced. It is easy to tell that the writers spent months of writing, rewriting, and cross-writing to make the plot possible. Any film that requires that amount of brain power to pull off is worth watching. As good as Dj Vu is, it leaves a lot to be desired in the field of consistency. When visiting the past, Officer Carlin recognizes scenes from the post-attack investigation that he inadvertently caused by trying prevent the attack in the first place (i.e. fingerprints, gun, bandages, and blood). If the evidence of his presence is there in the post-attack investigation, the bombing seen in the beginning never technically happens in the first place, and what the audience sees in the beginning is nothing more than a mere fantasy of the terrorist. The same instance goes with Claire; the audience sees her dead in the beginning when she was technically never killed in the first place. In fact, shortly following the ferry explosion, the beginning of the

Kline 3 film mentions her survival of the event. Speculation refers to the refrigerator as a source of answer to this contradiction. Throughout the film, Claires refrigerator can be seen with magnetic letters that spell out you can save her. There is also a church pamphlet next to it that says revive which is earlier seen written on Officer Carlins chest when he comes through the time machine. This can possibly point to the idea that Officer Carlin comes through the time machine more than once. Further evidence of this is not supported by any other elements found in the movie. Though the film was good, the plot holes it contains heavily cripple the impact of its "fate versus destiny" approach. All in all, Dj Vu is a very enjoyable experience with its clever ideas, its in-depth plot, and even its imperfections. The twists and turns that this psychological thrill ride takes the viewer on is nothing less than a work of art. Dj Vu is the epitome of imagination and ingenuity which is an creative touch that Hollywood has lost within recent years.

Kline 4 Works Cited Dj Vu. Dir. Tony Scott. Perf. Denzel Washington, Paula Patton, Jim Caviezel. Touchstone Pictures, 2006. Film.

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