control (the movie, not some existential think-piece)

Oh, man. This movie sucked. So severely.

Basically: in the place of developing an interesting script, attempting to explore Ian Curtis as a person of interest and complexity, or even just Having Some Interesting Things Happen, they made a Mike-Leigh wannabe, oh-so-trite kitchen-sink drama. And then gave it faux-arthouse credibility by shooting the entire thing in black and white.

The movie did not justify its own existence. It went: "you're interested in Ian Curtis because he wrote some great songs for a band called Joy Division. That is enough to get you in the cinema. We are not going to provide you with any further information. This is a boring, self-obsessed, adultering bastard. His actions are dull and predictable. We believe that his life is noble because he topped himself at the tragically young age of 21. Oh, the pathos! The fact that not one notable event occurs in the course of the movie, not one attempt to draw a complex picture of Curtis as a figure in conflict, not one well-written, insightful conversation between any of the characters is justified, because HE HAD A TRAGIC END, PEOPLE! Feel the pain. There you go, folks. That's it."

It was lazy, facile, self-important film-making of the worst possible kind. A more interesting, challenging, compelling portait of Curtis (and Joy Division) is provided within 15 minutes of screen-time in 24 Hour Party People. What a great film that is.

(Side-bar: if they're insistent on making yet more band-movies, make one about New Order! They are the infinitely superior and interesting band. The best thing that ever happened to Joy Division was the adenoidal Curtis' death, before they released twelve, increasingly-inferior albums. The legacy of Joy Division is as good as it is because they were cut short in their prime)

(Their albums ARE great, though. New Dawn Fades = one of the best songs ever)