Customer Ratings & Reviews

The movie is a pleasure to behold. It’s like drinking 100 proof rum: intense but delicious. Big missed opportunity on the special features. Would have liked a commentary.

As I watched this movie I knew I was watching two great performances but I just didnt lie the movie all that wel. Good looking transfer tho

The Master is a complicated film. It's also quite polarizing, and many viewers will leave with more questions than answers. But I think Anderson wanted it this way, and I was fine with that. The film is philosophically-minded, so the ambiguities are purposeful and are meant to sink in long after you've finished the film.

You're really not supposed to understand what the characters conversations actually mean or why they do what they do, the best way to enjoy this beautiful film is to just know that some very unhinged, not so normal characters interact with one another and see what happens next.

Paul Thomas Anderson’s absolute masterpiece. Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman were perfect.

Every man has disciples. The Master, is such an amazing film study in so many ways and so many levels. Check out amazing performances by Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams and Laura Dern.

Beautifully shot….exquisitely told……and very dark at times….it’s quite the experience.

Complex and thought provoking. Deep exploration into what attracts one twisted psyche to another.

Excellent acting by entire cast. Story flows well. Engaging from start to finish.

Awesome comeback from Joaquin Phoenix, great performances from Amy Adams and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

A fascinating time period piece, The Master tells the story of a WWII veteran who is trying to find his way in post-war American society.

i thought the plot was great. i have lent it to a few friends and they liked italso.

Wow P.T. Anderson shows why he's one of the best working today

No doubt this movie lived up to all of its great reviews

P.T. Anderson once again proves that he is the best filmmaker working today, and maybe the best to ever live. This an absolute masterwork of cinema on every level. The performances, which have been rightly lauded, are stellar, particularly Joaquin Phoenix, who becomes so lost in the role that his entire physicality changes. The 65mm cinematography is beyond gorgeous, and really enhances the immaculately accurate period detail. And the film itself, as I said, is a masterwork; this an intense, emotional, darkly funny examination of the battle between man's id and ego (Phoenix's Quell being the former, Philip Seymour Hoffman's Dodd being the latter) that effortlessly careens from powerful, visceral exchanges of dialogue to inquisitive, carefully executed sequences of conflict and questioning to moments of almost outrageous humor - sometimes in the same scene. The Blu-ray itself is magnificent as well. The picture quality is perhaps the best I've ever seen; nothing else really displays the full capability of the Blu-ray format like 65mm or 70mm photography. The color and clarity of the images really bowled me over. It's also beautifully packaged with reversible artwork and a postcard, and has some interesting features including deleted scenes and, perhaps most interestingly, the John Huston-directed WWII documentary "Let There Be Light," which PTA has cited as a major influence on this film.

Paul Thomas Anderson's, "The Master", is one of the best movies of the year. While it doesn't provide a clear cut answer at its conclusion, it leaves the viewer to answer moral questions of religion, self existence, and "what truly is real in our heads and what is make believe?" Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman give Oscar-worthy performances with their portrayal of this odd cult in the 1950's. While the movie does have mild religious undertones and similarities to Scientology ideology; the movie primarily focuses on the relationship between these two men, it does not divulge deeply into the implications of "The Cause". The true beauty of the film is found in interpretation. It isn't the normal Hollywood blockbuster, but a film that should be viewed as an art form and Anderson showing an overview to his ideas. The relationship shared between Phoenix and Hoffman is astounding and both men and extremely talented actors. Not to mention the 70mm conversion to blu-ray is absolutely stunning! There are multiple ocean scenes in the film and picture quality is unlike anything I've seen from the digital age. Why it wasn't nominated for Best Picture, yet had a nomination in all three major individual categories? Beyond me. Go see it!

P.T. Anderson once again proves that he is the best filmmaker working today, and maybe the best to ever live. This an absolute masterwork of cinema on every level. The performances, which have been rightly lauded, are stellar, particularly Joaquin Phoenix, who becomes so lost in the role that his entire physicality changes. The 65mm cinematography is beyond gorgeous, and really enhances the immaculately accurate period detail. And the film itself, as I said, is a masterwork; this an intense, emotional, darkly funny examination of the battle between man's id and ego (Phoenix's Quell being the former, Philip Seymour Hoffman's Dodd being the latter) that effortlessly careens from powerful, visceral exchanges of dialogue to inquisitive, carefully executed sequences of conflict and questioning to moments of almost outrageous humor - sometimes in the same scene. The Blu-ray itself is magnificent as well. The picture quality is perhaps the best I've ever seen; nothing else really displays the full capability of the Blu-ray format like 65mm or 70mm photography. The color and clarity of the images really bowled me over. It's also beautifully packaged with reversible artwork and a postcard, and has some interesting features including deleted scenes and, perhaps most interestingly, the John Huston-directed WWII documentary "Let There Be Light," which PTA has cited as a major influence on this film.

Do not blind buy this film. It is not nearly as accessible as Anderson's last film, 2007's "There Will Be Blood" and it's ending is about as maddening to most as the conclusion to the Coen Brothers' "A Serious Man" #though much less ominous#. It's a film founded upon brilliant performances and exchanges between Phoenix and Hoffman. Phoenix has never better, but this type of acting is par for the course in Hoffman's world. You'll get right away that Phoenix plays a post-WWII drifter with some PTSD issues and a lot of regret. You'll similarly get that he wanders into the world of a religious cult led by Hoffman and quickly becomes his protege. You will see how the men feed off one another and how Phoenix struggles with his newfound lot in life. What is difficult is to prescribe meaning to anything that occurs in the last hour or so. What does it all mean? What does Anderson want to tell us? It is nothing that he is willing to hit us over the head with, which is why this film will take patience and repeat viewings to appreciate. Some will endure, most will not. The BD features an on-disc bonus featurette that is a vintage documentary shot by the great John Huston on the subject of WWII war vets with PTSD. Not to be missed!

This movie is about a man trying to find himself. After the war, he is broken. He has no direction in life until he meets a person who has created his own little cult. This is the first time he feels like he belongs somewhere. He has a family, friends. Will he change? Can a man truly change what he is? Find out by watching The Master.

If you're a fan of Paul Thomas Anderson, then you're undoubtedly going to love this film. It may not be for everyone, though. PTA expands on his already amazing cinematography that we saw with There Will Be Blood and we get more amazing performances out of Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman.