The opening scenes of Hereafter are wonderful and thrilling. They set the film up to deliver something special... but it doesn't.
After the opener we get 3 separate story lines which run independently for a long time. We assume that they will eventually come together, since there are common elements. But the plot stays with each of the 3 threads for awkward lengths; sometimes it feels too long, other times not long enough. There isn't enough in any of the threads to really grab you and make you care about the characters... tragic though some of their experiences are.
There is also an imbalance between the characters which seems to weaken rather than strengthen the film, because of the way it is constructed. And ultimately this leads to an unsatisfying conclusion. I can see what the makers were trying to do, but I don't think they achieved it.
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