@blehb said:
[Downsizing] is actually very interesting to me because (and correct me if I’m wrong because I haven’t personally seen it, so I don’t know how true these criticisms are) it seemed like a lot of people were disappointed the movie strayed away from further world-building. Like they were excited to see these special effects and quirks and stuff but then the movie just took a totally different turn.
So Downsizing was written and directed by Alexander Payne, who had previously made such adult satirical movies as Citizen Ruth, Election, Sideways, and About Schmidt. Not only did those films have smart and funny scripts, they also featured scandalous scenes of full-frontal nudity that were more comical than arousing. There was every reason to believe that Payne would deliver the long-awaited mainstream size smut crossover, and he had the budget to do what none of us would even attempt in terms of special effects.
Unfortunately, Payne’s goal was about satirizing how narcissistic Americans pursue individual remedies rather than taking collective action. So, instead of reducing carbon emissions to mitigate global warming, a privileged few reduce themselves in the hopes that they will set a good example for the rest of the population. Much of the screen time is spent on several Downsized people interacting with each other and demonstrating the hollowness of the entire project.
Almost all of the special effects and tiny people interacting with Biggos was in the trailer. Even normies were expecting more of a fantastic experience. The review in The New Yorker actually referred to Brobdingnag from Gulliver’s Travels and said the film needed more giant-tiny sexytimes. It doesn’t get more disappointing than that.