Reviews

High expectations aren't met, and when it does get close, it feels like a small reward for such investment of time and money.

The acting ability of the main stars is largely wasted with a feeble script and plodding pace. What little character development there is doesn't give me any emotional involvement with the them.

Some of the 'action' scenes fall pretty flat and follow along the standard proscribed formula, but in terms of special effects, the CGI is a lot cleaner than in most movies.

The biggest problem is that the story seems like a series of loosely connected events that don't hold a lot of continuity. There are numerous plot-holes that a bus could be driven through, which can be overlooked by die-hard fans, but the final scene smacks far too much of a sequel setup.

Overall, it's pretty and it's got some good moments, but for all the hype and the potential, it's no classic.

Never having read the books, and being pressured for months by my in-laws to see this, I had the very great pleasure of being able to watch the entire first season consecutively in one day.

By the time it finished, I was checking the date for the second season to start, hoping it was tomorrow. Sadly, I had to wait with the rest of the world.

My first experience of George RR Martin was back in the 80's with the Wild Cards series of books, which engrossed me with the way each character's story intertwined with the others, how events experienced from the perspective of one would be impacted upon others. To have many authors involved in developing separate characters each was a masterpiece of editing.

To have a sense of uncertainty about what might happen next is a difficult thing to bring to any story, with most plot lines having been subjected to a standard format and the characters being stamped out copies of the common stereotypes.

Martin seems to have brought a great part of that early concept of straying from the norm to this world, with the unexpected twists following a far more intriguing storyline than the average TV show, where the big names always make it to the end of the episode with all of their parts intact.

From Epic scale ideas, and subtle (and at times not so) hints at a rich past full of the best kind of myths, we begin to see the weave coming together on several levels. The way in which personality traits of characters are maintained in the face of life and death decisions brings an authenticity to the progress of events.

The separation of information that allows each thread to play out without being warped by events in another thread, that couldn't and shouldn't be known, is a key component in bringing drama to the table.

Besides all of that, the casting is good for the most part, and with believable performances it is easy to find more than one character to care about, to invest some emotions with and to hope for.

I love the Avengers, in theory. Unfortunately, in practice I couldn't wait for this movie to end.

From the empty backstory for the 'bad guys', to a total lack of empathy for any of the main characters, I found this whole experience soul crushingly dull. Which is odd when there's an explosion or a fist fight every 5 minutes.

It would be quite annoying to work out the veneer-thin plot if not having seen some of the prior Marvel outings for Thor, Iron Man, et al, but there are some saving graces.

An almost seamless set of special effects does lend a sense of realism to the ridiculous scenarios that the heroes find themselves in. And with plenty of running time to allow each a fair chunk of screen time, it doesn't feel as if any one member is worth less than the rest.

That's part of the problem for me- with trying to squeeze an equal share for everyone in, it starts to feel patched together, losing coherence. When the flow begins to break up, my attention span begins to shorten. I start to not care about the events or their impact on the story, and instead just want to see the Hulk smash.

There are times when a movie can be watched for its pure entertainment value, but it's usually when we're talking about epic scale fantasy-land type stories. With historical adaptations, it would be a refreshing change if movie studios, writers and directors could actually stick to facts for once in a while.

Too often, we get served a mishmash of explosions and/or overly dramatic performances trying to make up for the lack of any real acting talent. Braveheart is one of those ilk and as a Scotsman and student of history, I can't get past the blatant revision of important events in a vain attempt to make up for a terrible script, distinctly average direction and an accent that would get you killed if you used it in any bar in Scotland.

This film is rescued by some great cinematography, but there is really no need to redo the story of William Wallace, as the truth is every bit as dramatic as this pandering to an American audience's need for the hero to be a glorious warrior for justice and almost without sin. It seems to be that 'Hollywood' can't seem to realise that anti-heroes, as the real Wallace was, can be every bit as entertaining, if not more engrossing for their character flaws, than these sanitised, lily-white warped reflections could ever be.

There are a lot of good qualities to this movie, no doubt. From stunning 3D visual effects and a world of wonder plucked straight from what seems like a drug induced daydream, to amazing action scenes and a complex social-religious context.

However, digging a little deeper reveals that this is the (albeit dazzling) facade used to divert us away from the biggest failure of this movie, which is its attempt to 'cherry-pick' the best aspects from all the classic sci-fi movies, such as Aliens, Star Wars, The Matrix, et al.

That being said, if you're a younger viewer, or have have never seen those mentioned, you will probably be able to get past what is almost intellectual theft being presented as something original and innovative, as far as storyline goes.

But in all honesty, I didn't go to watch this movie for its storyline, I went to see the 'shiny stuff'. And it's a good thing to, as many have commented that there are political undercurrents to this plot, if you choose to look for them, or even when you don't and they are waved in your face like the little flying dude in the 3D intro.

Altogether, this will probably be regarded as a classic to future generations, but really, it's something of a Frankenstein's Monster to me.

...because I would be able to get past the awful dialogue, truly terrible acting and direction bereft of any dramatic flair or intensity.

That being said, the special effects were truly magnificent, and definitely worth watching even in 2d. You will probably love this movie if you enjoy cheesy lines that attempt to pass themselves off as comedy, ridiculous stunts, plot-holes that you could fall down and break your leg on, and absolutely pointless sub-plots that make a mockery of one of the greatest Greek legends.

And that may be my biggest gripe with this tripe; That a Hollywood studio, in the eternally pointless quest to find the next big thrill, has managed to take one of the greatest stories ever told and mash it down into the baby food equivalent of entertainment.