The idea was intriguing and this was something I had been wanting to watch since it came out, I just didn't enjoy it. It seemed so contrived and it felt like the actors were just going over their lines without emotion, so I didn't really connect with anyone or really care about the plot. There wasn't really a sensible reason for people to turn in to animals or for the loners to be just as brutal about relationships. I get the point it was making, but it didn't really resonate with me.

This could have been a cool and odd film. Instead it was just boring and violent. It felt like they just did everything for the shock factor and it just ended up being a mess.

The Lobster is a curious film with shades of the Coen Brothers or Grand Hotel Budapest (the fact that so much is set in a hotel is incidental, or hotels in movies are places to be avoided). Dysfunctional characters drift through, delivering their lines with humorous lack of awareness and emotion, strange rituals are performed to bond the guests, and all the time the clock is ticking - find a partner, become a couple, within 45 days or be turned into an animal of your choice.

The first part of the film is amusing, quirky and entertaining. The style is pleasant and interesting, despite some nasty moments. Some of the shots drag a little, but it adds to the curious atmosphere. The dry, deadpan dialogue is perfectly delivered, Colin Farrell as the main protagonist shows he really is a fine actor.

Then the film changes. New characters are introduced and the mood becomes much bleaker. No longer is this humorous, the stakes have changed. It is hard to identify with the new characters as we had already invested emotion in the earlier ones. And it gets worse, leading to en ending that is as unclear as it is unpleasant.

The Lobster cannot seem to make up its mind what kind of a film it is, is it simply saying that we are all venal and craven in the end? If so, why the humour at the beginning? And if we are capable of love, is it really so shallow as to be broken by people saying things?

I loved the beginning, I didn't like the end. This was one fish dish that left a bad taste.