I tried hard to give Inarritu’s “Bardo” a fair shot. I stuck with it for its entire 150 minutes, but the “wisdom” this fiom seems to be conveying is pure claptrap. Inarritu basically blurs fantasy and reality by telling a “personal” and “autobiographical” tale of his own personal struggles. The camerawork is sometimes stunning, but that’s about it. The rest is vain, empty and soulless. A lot happens in Bardo, but most of it seems to be a construct of the lead characters’ imagination — over-the-top musical numbers, dream sequences, battle scenes, and non-linear plotting. This is a film that is absolutely full of itself, a supposed “experimental” tackling of Inarritu’s inner-turmoil, his limbo status between Mexico and the United States, and his utter disdain for journalists. There’s also an overusage of fish-eye lenses that feels so dated by now. Nobody asked Inarritu to go full-existentialist on us and I frankly don’t think he has it in him to make something as deep as he wants “Bardo” to be.
Anthony and Joe Russo are directing, and the secrecy surrounding Jupe’s character naturally leaves plenty of room for rumors about whether he could be connected to an established Marvel character,