There are a lot of reasons why a person could enjoy Hereafter and quite a few reasons why they would not. Personally I feel as though the good outweighs the bad in this 2010 film by Clint Eastwood, but the overall consensus gives it an overall rating of "mixed." This wouldn't be the first time that I haven't fallen in line with the critics but it might be partially because I quite like Matt Damon.
[src](https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QzKjYKyjFmU/TLg908qqfBI/AAAAAAAAACM/lyFjNLlolLc/s1600/hereafter+movie.jpg)Categorized as a fantasy-disaster film that I totally disagree with because the natural disaster part of the movie only affects one character and is only featured in the film for about 5 minutes, this movie is directed by Clint Eastwood and produced by Steven Spielberg. Normally this combination and also the inclusion of Matt Damon in one of the lead roles would all but guarantee a blockbuster film, but Hereafter was attacked by critics for having a weak story.
[src](https://www.austinchronicle.com/binary/3817/Hereafter2.jpg)At first the film appears as though it is going to be completely about George Lonegan (Damon) who is a clairvoyant who can speak to the dead through other people legitimately. However, he views his gift as a curse and does not want to perform these duties and instead ignores the obvious riches and fame that could come along with this career to pursue a menial job in a factory. Everyone else thinks his ability is a blessing but he considers it a curse because he doesn't want to see into the afterlife.
There are 2 other players in the film who also experience something similar although they are not as advanced as George but rather have been touched by death in various ways. I am not going to spoil what happens as it is a major part of the storyline that I do not wish to spoil, but they are all quite well-done and extremely tragic.
[src](https://cdn1.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/portrait_300x450/2010/10/hereafter_gallery_6_2010_a_p.jpg)Particularly touching is the performance of Frankie and George McLaren, who are twins in real life and both play the same character "Marcus" throughout the film. It is indiscernible who is playing the role at any certain time and both of them likely have a fantastic opportunity in the world of acting ahead of them. It is strange to me that it appears as though they have not pursued this, or simply need a great director like Clint Eastwood in order to shine because they have been in very little ever since Hereafter.
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Eastwood has been known to spend a lot of time developing people into fantastic performances as he frequently takes on non-professional into his movies
What makes this film great is that it touches base on a subject matter that has eluded mankind for all eternity and is likely what sparked an interest in religion to begin with: "What happens to us after we die?" This film presents the afterlife only in a passing sense and that Damon is able to speak, albeit briefly with people who have passed on. The film makes no attempt at fully explaining the afterlife but presents it as pleasant - which is a relief if that ends up being true.
It should be obvious that this movie is not based on anyone's claims in real life, but is pure speculation and entertainment, so anyone with any sort of strong religious bias can watch this film without fear of any sort of religious-based discussions - because there are none.
The reasons why people might not enjoy this movie is because it might seem slow at times but this is simply because it is meant to be an emotional ride rather than an action-packed one. Personally, i loved it and it is one of the better movies I have seen recently. I think there are multiple opportunities for you to get misty-eyed during the 2 hour runtime, and for me anyway, that is normally a welcome occurrence.
Should you watch it
I'm going to go against the critics here and give it a resounding "Yes!" but will admit that at least some of my opinion has a lot to do with the fact that I think Damon is one of the best actors in the world right now. My opinion is probably also at least in part dictated by the fact that I feel as though the "stash" of movies on Netflix at the moment are less-than-stellar.
