Wow! Such a good movie.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Honestly, is this really a movie? It's hardly seems like it was. I wouldn't call this a movie, in my opinion, because films to me, are quite literally "moving pictures". There is nothing in the film to look at, besides a single shot of saturated blue color filling the screen for 1 hour & 17 minutes. This isn't a movie. It's an art-house experimental art project! While, it's not a movie, in my terms; Blue does have a way to move its message along the film's run time. It does this, by using audio clips of director Derek Jarman's testimony about his life, assisted by voice actors & actors; John Quentin, Nigel Terry and Tilda Swinton. This is interwoven with beautiful sound effects, and amazing music by Simon Fisher-Turner & Brian Eno, throughout the film. While, the audio-piece does have some unstructured thoughts, coming in, far left and distant right with no clear path in narrative. The majority of it, does tell a somewhat clear story. It tells the story about coming to terms with death. Very heavy stuff. Before the film was even made, Derek Jarman lose his vision due to AIDS-related complications and was near death. In many ways, the single shot of saturated blue color is a metaphor for sightlessness; the blindness before death. In a way, Jarman wanted his final film to mirror his own sight about dying. For the most part, the gimmick kinda works. This experimental film does make the audience, somewhat think. The movie has sound effects of both the wind and the ocean waves, which symbolism, both life (water) and the afterlife (heaven). It gives the viewer, a sense of vision, without the use of the eyes. The talk toward the end of the life about crossing the body of water is so haunting. It remind us as if he's travelling down the River Styx, seeing those friends and lovers that did not make it. The chiming of a gong heard occasionally throughout the film as Jarman reads out the victims of AIDS is very moving. The ticking of the clocks and the tolling of a bell, gives a sense of how much time, he still has left. The film covers all the fear, self-loathing, and even thoughts of suicide that Jarman is going through. The story of the film moves like radio show program or an early version of a video podcast, but since the movie is so melancholy. It's hard for people to get through this film. Some people might find the movie, a bit too depressing to watch. There is little humor in it and much of it, isn't that entertaining. Another problem with the film is the odd mix of emotions. Jarman's out there signature style of lyrical combination of classic theory, anecdote and poetry might, conflict with the realistic tone of the rest of the film as Jarman takes the audience through, the day to day struggles of living with the disease. The reading by Tilda Swinton from the book, Chroma: A Book of Color does not match well, with the rest of the film, in my opinion. Another pet peeve, that I didn't like, about the film is how often, they use the word 'blue' or use the color, as symbolism. Come on! Couldn't Derek Jarman be a little smarter, and use some other symbol as a metaphor of death for once. Hearing the word, 'blue' for the first 30 minutes was alright, but hearing the word, throughout the film was a bit repetitive. Still, that isn't the worst problem with this film. The biggest problem with the film has to be the blue visual. I know that the filmmakers wanted to use the blue screen as a Ganzfeld effect AKA perceptual deprivation effect to get closer to God, but I don't think, it's healthy. Having the brain amplifying neural transmitted electrical signal AKA noise in order to look for the missing visual signals is not a good thing. The noise is interpreted in the higher visual cortex, has gave rise to hallucinations. Not only that, it make the audience get dizzying, nauseating or hypnotic -- depending on your sensory makeup or your attitude to visual deprivation. Overstimulation has been known as a torture device. While, it's good as an allegory to death, it's not good as long term visual. It will cause the loss of one's on vision, especially when it means everything to you. The film remind me of Russian Abstract artist, Kazimir Malevich's Black, White & Red Square paintings from the Turn of the Century. The movie is pretty much, just a big example of Suprematism art. Suprematism is an art movement that focused on basic geometric forms, such as circles, squares, lines, and rectangles, painted in a limited range of colors. In many ways, the movie might be blue print copy of Blue Monochorme by artist, Yves Klein. The movie seem to also very similar to the short-lived ambient sketch-comedy radio program Blue Jam that had a parallel concept. The title of the movie has a habit of getting people, very confused. First off, while, the movie does describe homosexual sex, the movie isn't adult film or amateur pornography. It's not that kind of a blue film. Second off, it's not part of the Three Colors trilogy. Blue, a French drama film by Krzysztof Kieślowski is a different film. The DVD picture quality isn't that good. The old transfer seem to be made from a used cinema copy. It's full of dirt, dust, and reel change mark's every 20 minute. The film also is missing subtitles for hearing impaired. It sucks, particular for a film like this. Overall: While, the monochrome movie might seem pretentious, trendy, self-indulgent. It's also brilliant. Watch this film with an open mind. It might be stressful to watch, but it will empower you with a new level of perspective about life.

Derek Jarman was a British film maker who's films were an acquired taste for some,and reason to delight for others. He started out as an painter, and got into film from being a set designer for such films as Ken Russell's 'The Devils'. He started out making simple (but never simple minded) 8mm films,moving eventually to 35mm features. Along the way, he experimented,resulting in films such as 'The Garden'. In 'Blue' (a.k.a.Derek Jarman's Blue),he was nearly blind,as a result of AIDS, and wanted to film his final testament. The result is nearly 80 minutes of what appears to be blue light struck leader (generally used at the beginning of each reel of film,so as not to allow direct light on screen),augmented with spoken text,some of which by some of Jarman's favourite actors (Tilda Swinton),with various realms of music (classical,ambient,etc.). As with other experimental/expanded cinema, this film will leave some cold,and delight others. Not rated by the MPAA,but contains some naughty language

Anyone who's been to the Tate in London or MOMA in New York finds themselves facing an interesting dilemma: am I being ignorant or is this some joke I'm not getting? Do I not understand the importance of having a canvas all one color, or is someone getting paid for a much easier job than I have? Should I publicly deride this load of nonsense, or get rid of my briefcase, buy some square black glasses, and get short spiky hair? And so it is with this glorious practical joke of a movie that has Mr Jarman laughing to the bank, Tilda Swinton getting so surreal that at some point her body is going to evaporate from the implausibility of her entire career, and once more goodbye to another ten dollars wasted on a popcorn-less experience at some new weird Village cinema.I'd really be interested to hear if anyone disagrees at me, but first please qualify your comments with a disclaimer guaranteeing that you've not taken Class A drugs recently, and don't have said square glasses and spiky hair. Gentlemen, the floor is yours.

Blue is here emptiness, emptiness is blue; blue is no other than emptiness, emptiness is no other than blue; that which is blue is emptiness, that which is emptiness is blue. The same can be said of red, orange, yellow, green, indigo and violet.All things here are characterized with emptiness: they are not born, they are not annihilated; they are not tainted, they are not immaculate; they do not increase, they do not decrease. Therefore, in emptiness there is no blue, no red, no orange, no yellow, no green, no indigo, no violet; no eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind; no form; no film, sound, color, taste, touch, objects, no element of vision, till we come to no element of consciousness; there is no knowledge, no ignorance, till we come to there is no old age and death, no extinction of old age and death; there is no suffering, no accumulation, no annihilation, no path; there is no knowledge, no attainment, no realization, because there is no attainment.