Terry Gilliam’s The Zero Theorem is a film brimming with visual ambition and existential weight, yet it never fully coalesces into the masterpiece it aspires to be. Set in a hyper-stylized dystopia, the film follows Christoph Waltz’s reclusive, socially stunted protagonist, Qohen Leth, as he attempts to solve a mathematical equation that may prove life’s meaning—or lack thereof. Like Brazil before it, Gilliam crafts a world that is both visually overwhelming and thematically dense, but where Brazil thrived in its satirical coherence, The Zero Theorem struggles under the weight of its own ideas. The production design is dazzling, and Waltz delivers a committed performance, but the film’s narrative feels both meandering and overly familiar. It raises grand questions about purpose, technology, and the void of human existence, yet never delivers the cathartic insight one might hope for. At times intriguing, at times frustrating, The Zero Theorem is a quintessential Gilliam film—unmistakably creative but lacking the cohesion that makes his best work truly shine.

Severely underrated thought provoking intelligent film that is quite enjoyable

Terry Gilliam does such a good job here contrasting We's struggle to mentally survive in a world of hollow pleasures, blinking lights, loud noises, pointless tasks.

It benefits from a narrowed focus (we see just enough of the futuristic world to get a sense of how it's suffocating the characters) and a strong performance by Waltz.

One of Gilliam's worst films. That still doesn't make it garbage, but do yourself a favor and pick another of his to watch. I'd only watch this if you're already a fan of his aesthetic.

Spoilers: A sort of downer "Slaughterhouse Five" in its fantasy sequences. Unlike Billy Pilgrim and Montana Wildhack on Tralfamadore, together, happy, Christoph and Melanie were happy beachside, but he ended up there but without her, after refusing her entreaties to leave his home with her. Life's a bitch and you don't get the girl? He was a cog in a big wheel who took his work so seriously it was too seriously. Then Matt Damon as Management enlightened emotionless Waltz that none of the work meant a thing nor accomplished a thing. The Zero Theorem of great longing and aspiration didn't really exist. Of course, Billy and Montana didn't last either, as real life had Billy a dentist with a wife who constantly vowed to lose weight for him. The rawest emotions were from the lovely Melanie and Waltz's supervisor Thewlis, who was mad at Waltz for destroying equipment and getting him fired. Sort of Alice in Wonderland meets Blade Runner meets Tralfamadore. Whatever, but a pretty good cast. Set designer to be commended for dystopian, ugly digs for Waltz and crappy environs.

This was Gilliam's worst movie I've seen so far, and I come to him as a big fan. It was a huge letdown after Brazil and 12 Monkeys, both of which were brilliant and one of a kind. The Zero Theorem ends up as a meaningless metaphor to hold together the movie, and it is never taken to any sophisticated dimension. The movie starts at a certain pace and rhythm and stays at the same level until the end. I found Christoph Waltz as the lead character Qohen Leth irritating, although he does salvage himself a bit at the end. It's a bit of 1984, a bit of Brazil, a bit of what Gilliam can't pull off a la Christopher Nolan, a bit of Beckett, a bit of this and that, but in the end not very compelling. It takes great dedication to see it through to the finish, once you realize the other shoe will never drop. In 1984-like dystopias, you can either have a benign Management (as in Brazil, to some extent), or a truly evil one (as in Orwell's ur-text), either one works fine, but this movie is so bad that Management itself remains a non-entity, neither disturbing nor comic. The one saving grace of the movie, for which it's worth watching in the end, is the visual element. The street scenes are to be relished, but again the visual jumble of Qohen's house, exploited past the maximum, grates on the nerves by the end. It is a movie trying to make a big statement but without the script to get anywhere close to doing so. A terrible letdown after what I've come to expect of Gilliam, and now I'm less eager to explore his later movies, the ones I haven't seen yet.

I hated the ending. Somehow I felt it was wrong so I searched for and downloader the book on which this movie was based and lo and behold the ending in the book was different than in the movie. The rest of the movie was otherwise okay.

This one I swear I genuinely enjoyed. Maybe it's just that it's the last one of Gilliam's films that I watched so I was perfectly prepared for what was coming, or maybe that I just identified myself too strongly with the protagonist, Qohen Leth. That is, of course, during the first half of the movie, as in real life there is no Bainsley to come and (at least partially) save me. Leaving real life aside, though: "The Zero Theorem" is original and engaging both when it comes to story that keeps you going until its very inconclusive end and the design of the world that draws from early 2000s kids action movie aesthetics ("Spy Kids" come to mind). The twisted reality of this movie is unnerving, because it feels like a mirror reflection of our own culture, but reflected so we cannot quite find ourselves within it. It evokes Gilliam's "Brasil", to be sure, but not to the point were it would feel like an auto-plagiarism. In the range of Gilliam's cinematography this one sits comfortably in the middle - certainly not brilliant, but not a vulgar, incomprehensible mess also.

I enjoyed this mix of beautiful visuals with industrial ugliness. The plot was either too simple or too complex for me to follow.

More or less than what it actually is. May get better with age.

The dystopian future setting has proved to be fertile ground in the past, and Gilliam practically built his post-Python career there, devising tragicomic scenarios that dabble in philosophy. In The Zero Theorem, the legendary Brit certainly draws on his formiddable powers of worldbuilding, particularly in his integration of bright and substantial practical set pieces (even for use in relatively short scenes), and discusses a classic theme - the meaning of life - through his own distinct lens. Despite recruiting A-list talent to convey the substance, the narrative feels tired and unsubstantial in its lamentations regarding the lack of a greater mortal significance and the retreat into short-term escapes. However, if nothing else, the film is at least a departure from the style of other, thematically similar films retaining the tragic elements but applying a thick coat of satirical and comic garnish in the design. (2.5/5)

I really thought I would like this movie. I think the best way to describe this would be . Convoluted with not a big enough reward 2.1

Nice acting, interesting world(it remember me Brasil) but the story is confusing and inconclusive.

The Zero Theorem saw Terry Gilliam return to science fiction for the first time since 12 Monkeys in 1995. Unlike 12 Monkeys, it was met with mixed reviews; Gilliam later noted that only one professional reviewer realised that the film is a tragedy, not a comedy. I find that surprising, but then hindsight is a wonderful thing: once you know what Gilliam was trying to achieve however, the film's purpose becomes much clearer. The screenplay by Pat Rushin tells the story of Christoph Waltz's reclusive computer programmer Qohen Leth as he is assigned to solve the titular Zero Theorem, which he is told will reveal the meaning of existence. Leth is very much a tragic figure: lonely, depressive and delusional, he is socially inept, suffers from anhedonia and has a disconcerting habit of referring to himself in the third person. Over the course of the film, he seems to find love in the eccentric form of Bainsley, but she turns out to be a stripper paid by the hour to lift his spirits. The crowning tragedy of the film comes when he realises with horror that the Zero Theorem will reveal that life is meaningless by proving that the universe will end with the Big Crunch. Leth's boss the Management – who employed Leth to solve the theorem because he hopes to profit from the chaos that it represents – sums up the film's central message when he explains that because Leth had faith that the phone call he has been waiting for will reveal the meaning of his life, he has spent a meaningless life waiting for that phone call. The problem with The Zero Theorem is perhaps that Gilliam's style swamps Rushin's intention. It shares the aesthetic characteristic of Gilliam: the future city in which Leth lives looks like a hybrid of Ridley Scott's Blade Runner and Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The mise-en-scène blends the Bucharest location filming with cartoonish sets, a blend of the futuristic and the archaic reminiscent of Brazil (Leth lives in an old church), brightly coloured and often weird props, grotesque characters such as the clones, and outlandish costumes. Leth's disability hearing involves him lying on a couch in his underwear whilst three sinister looking doctors first address him from behind a desk and then prod and poke at him with latex-gloved fingers. Typically for Gilliam, the cameras are in constant motion, and there is an emphasis on physical and visual stimuli rendered partly as slapstick, thus for example when Leth is choking on an olive, only for him to expel it and for it to be subsequently snatched up by a mouse. For fans of Gilliam's work (and I am one) this surreal approach is all part of the fun, but it does make it easy to understand why some critics mistook the film for a comedy with no jokes. But if Gilliam's indulgence works against him on this occasion, he still gets fine work from his cast members. Christoph Waltz injects real heart into the character of Leth, making him a figure of sympathy: this is not generally a film that lends itself to naturalistic performances, but Waltz manages to be believable in the role whilst still providing the theatricality that the film demands. The same is true of Mélanie Thierry, who plays Bainsley as an extrovert seductress/femme fatale, until her final scene with Leth when she suddenly exhibits emotion that seems genuine. Matt Damon's deadpan Management also works well, his insistence that he is neither God nor the Devil but just a man grounding the film in reality just in time for the enigmatic finale to leave it firmly behind. In the acting stakes, only an almost unrecognisable Tilda Swinton disappoints with an over-the-top turn as Dr Shrink-ROM. Gilliam fans can expect certain stylistic traits from his work: most of those are present in The Zero Theorem, but on this occasion they perhaps detract from the story his film is trying to tell. But if you can see past the colourful, eccentric trappings and deduce what he's trying to say, the message is suitably thought-provoking.

Thought it's relatability weird satire could get out some good laughs, The Zero Theorem's style may prove too far off for even Terry Gilliam's most devoted fans.

This is no "Brazil" for sure, but great visual effects, direction and worldbuilding, along with a fine performance from Waltz, can keep this movie away from nothingness.

I love this film. It fits right up there with Brazil and 12 Monkeys for me. Probably in 3rd place of the 3, but above many others. In a few years it might even be at #2 of those 3 for me.

Everything you want in a Sci-Fi and expect from a director like Gilliam.

Interesting, how often are such self recognition issues presented?