History YMMV / ThereWillBeBlood

** Granted, it's easy to root for Plainview when he's put up against someone as unlikable as [[SmugSnake Eli]], however these viewers seem to ignore that the point of the film is to show the moral degradation of Daniel. This is especially glaring in regards to the ending of the film, a number of viewers seem to think that [[spoiler: Daniel's brutal murder of Eli]] is a good thing, and is meant to represent the ultimate triumph of Plainview.

* NightmareFuel:

** It's a pretty disturbing film.

** Pitting Dano against JavierBardem is pretty unfair to both of them, though.

** Pitting Dano against JavierBardem is pretty unfair to both of them, though.

** DanielPlainview: How evil is he? Is Eli better or worse than him?

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: Many interpret young H.W. as a good little kid trying to be the best (adopted) son he can be to Daniel. However, in one profound way, one must wonder if a little of Daniel's psychotic nature has rubbed off on him. Remember how [[spoiler: H.W. tries to kill the impostor posing as Henry Plainview by setting his bed on fire? Granted, he was right to be suspicious of the man, and he was likely trying to protect Daniel, but even so that is still a pretty awful and insane thing to do. And sure, H.W. is young, but he is definitely old enough to know that fire is dangerous and can kill people, especially considering his adopted father is an oil tycoon. Plus, based on how the event is shown, if the fire got out of hand, H.W. could have gotten the impostor, Daniel, AND himself killed.]] Thankfully, this issue seems to have been resolved by the time H.W. becomes an adult.

* AlternateCharacterIntepretation: Many interpret young H.W. as a good little kid trying to be the best (adopted) son he can be to Daniel. However, in one profound way, one must wonder if a little of Daniel's psychotic nature has rubbed off on him. Remember how [[spoiler: H.W. tries to kill the impostor posing as Henry Plainview by setting his bed on fire? Granted, he was right to be suspicious of the man, and he was likely trying to protect Daniel, but even so that is still a pretty awful and insane thing to do. And sure, H.W. is young, but he is definitely old enough to know that fire is dangerous and can kill people, especially considering his adopted father is an oil tycoon. Plus, based on how the event is shown, if the fire got out of hand, H.W. could have gotten the impostor, Daniel, AND himself killed.]] Thankfully, this issue seems to have been resolved by the time H.W. becomes an adult.

* MoralEventHorizon: [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation There are a number of possible justifications]] for Daniel's behavior, right up until he starts yelling [[spoiler: "Bastard from a basket!" at his freshly disowned, adopted son]]. Then [[ItGotWorse its all goes downhill]].

* CompleteMonster: ZigZaggingTrope. Throughout the film, whether or not Daniel possesses any redeeming qualities is constantly being toyed with. [[spoiler: He adopts the orphaned child of one of his oil workers, but that could have been purely because the child elicits sympathy in Daniel's business deals. He stops the father of a young girl in the town he lives in from beating her, but this could have been another way to exert his complete control over the town. When his son is deafened, he sends him away to a special school. Was this because he cares about the boy's well being, or because he's outlived his usefulness to Daniel? He kills the man impersonating his brother, but then cries afterward, lamenting that his real brother was long since dead. Does Daniel eventually bring his son back because he genuinely misses the boy, or does the town knowing he sent the boy away make it harder for him to do business? Is Daniel enraged at the end of the film because his son would dare do business against him, or is Daniel enraged/saddened because even his son wants to run away from him? By the very end however, it's clear that Daniel is nothing but a drunken, old sociopath. This is cemented by the Mind Screw he puts Eli through before beating him to death with a bowling pin.]] Good luck trying to explore this trope any more thoroughly.
** Frankly, the ending could be interpreted in several ways, too.

** It's [[FridgeBrilliance intriguing]] that most of the nightmare fuel comes from [[SoundtrackDissonance the soundtrack]] playing over what are mostly pastoral landscapes in West Texas. On multiple viewings, though, the nightmare fuel shifts to being [[CompleteMonster Daniel Plainview]] himself.

** Granted, it's easy to root for Plainview when he's put up against someone has unlikable as [[SmugSnake Eli]], however these viewers seem to ignore that the point of the film is to show the moral degradation of Daniel. This is especially glaring in regards to the ending of the film, a number of viewers seem to think that [[spoiler: Daniel's brutal murder of Eli]] is a good thing and Daniel's ultimate triumph.

* AccidentalNightmareFuel: [[spoiler: Henry not dying straight away despite a bullet in the brain is pretty damn disturbing.]]

* HighOctaneNightmareFuel: It's a pretty disturbing film.
** It's [[FridgeBrilliance intriguing]] that most of the nightmare fuel comes from [[SoundtrackDissonance the soundtrack]] playing over what are mostly pastoral landscapes in West Texas. On multiple viewings, though, the nightmare fuel shifts to being [[CompleteMonster Daniel Plainview]] himself.

** And, to a lesser extent, "'''Seeeeeeeeeeepage!'''"

** Pitting Dano against Heath Ledger is pretty unfair to both of them, though. Some context is the baited Oscar in the wake of the Ledger's tragic death, following his performance.

* CompleteMonster: ZigZaggingTrope. Throughout the film, whether or not Daniel possess any redeeming qualities is constantly being toyed with. [[spoiler: He adopts the orphaned child of one of his oil workers, but that could have been purely because the child elicits sympathy in Daniel's business deals. He stops the father of a young girl in the town he lives in from beating her, but this could have been another way to exert his complete control over the town. When his son is deafened, he sends him away to a special school. Was this because he cares about the boy's well being, or because he's outlived his usefulness to Daniel? He kills the man impersonating his brother, but then cries afterward, lamenting that his real brother was long since dead. Does Daniel eventually bring his son back because he genuinely misses the boy, or does the town knowing he sent the boy away make it harder for him to do business? Is Daniel enraged at the end of the film because his son would dare do business against him, or is Daniel enraged/saddened because even his son wants to run away from him? By the very end however, it's clear that Daniel is nothing but a drunken, old sociopath. This is cemented by the Mind Screw he puts Eli through before beating him to death with a bowling pin.]] Good luck trying to explore this trope any more thoroughly.

* YourMileageMayVary: The milkshake lines are up for debate as either a CrowningMomentOfAwesome or a {{Narm}}.
** The whole of Daniel's humiliation of Eli is a deliberate case of this. On one hand, Eli has spent most of the movie as a SmugSnake, a borderline crazy fundamentalist bully, and he himself humiliated Daniel earlier by forcing him to admit to being a horrible father to the entire town, but on the other hand, by this point, Daniel has been seen to have almost no redeeming qualities himself, and the method he uses to humiliate Eli (forcing him to declare that God is a lie, only to tell him that Eli's selling out to him was completely pointless) is almost too cruel to cheer for Daniel, in spite of how unlikable Eli is. [[ItGotWorse However, there's no supporting Daniel when, a moment later]], [[spoiler: he beats Eli to death with a bowling pin while continuing to mock him.]]
** Also whether he actually sounds like an American Westerner, or a British man with a mouthful of spit.
*** There is no backstory given, other than being a Wisconsin farmboy, but [[MethodActing he keeps the accent consistent]].

* LoveItOrHateIt: The movie overall. Daniel Day-Lewis' larger-than-life performance. The score. The ending.

** And, to a lesser extent, "''Seeeeeeeeeeepage!''"

** And, to a lesser extent, "DRAAAAAAAIIINAGE!"

* MoralEventHorizon: [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation There are a number of possible justifications]] for Daniel's behavior, right up until he starts yelling [[spoiler: "Bastard from a basket!" at his freshly disowned, adopted son]].

** Also whether he actually sounds like an American Westerner, or a British man with a mouthful of spit.

*** "Eli, you boy!"