Never in the history of cinema have we seen a film that’s almost as long as the history of cinema.
MoldytoasterMedia’s epic masterpiece, simply titled The Longest Video on YouTube, is an exquisite piece of work examining the essence of humanity contrasted with the fragility of life and the existential nothingness of un-being.
It also has some great action sequences. All in just 571 hours.
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Admire, if you will, the scene-setting of the first 12 and half hours. Note the complex character development that begins around the 17th hour (I can’t be completely certain because I’d fallen asleep), and continues all the way through the beginning of the third, devastating act.
Watch out, if you can, for the dramatic set pieces in hours 344 and 501. Try not to laugh in hour 99, and if you’re squeamish, avoid hours 427-431.
The twist at hour 568 is shocking, brutal, and tantalizing.
In all, it’s a masterful piece of filmmaking. Like so many masterpieces, I don’t expect it to perform well at the box office.
What worries me most is what we’re not seeing here. How much of the plot and character development has been lost on the cutting room floor? How many more amazing scenes have we missed? It’s a good film as it stands, but the cuts (imposed by studio bosses, no doubt) went too deep this time.
I hear we might get a 2,644 hour director’s cut soon. All we can do is cross our fingers. And wait. And wait. Annnnnd wait.