Normally I loathe CGI, but here, it's necessary. And it works - well.
Here's my breakdown:
STORY:
As I understand it, the story was originally just a poem, but it was filled out nicely.
Warrior stories are endless, but this has a plot twist I've not seen or read before, and it's pivotal for the story.
I could have done without Jolie and the copious amount of lust, but men like their stories of war and women. Oy ...
ACTING:
This includes the "acting" of Anthony Hopkins, a brilliant British actor who I've followed since his earlier years.
Otherwise I thought the characters were decent, though their development is not the emphasis.
ENTERTAINMENT:
Moderate to high value, but as always, it depends on your tastes
TEMPO:
Quite good, though it must have crazed blood and carnage to satiate the lusts of men
CINEMATOGRAPHY:
For a CGI film I was very impressed. What's intriguing is how difficult it is to "draw" the human mouth while speaking.
There are so many muscles in the face, jaw, and tongue so those subtleties are lost, but an excellent attempt.
MUSIC / SOUND:
A beautiful song "Hero comes home" but otherwise far too much "epic" music
DIRECTING / WRITING:
Director: Zemeckis has a very impressive resume, and this reinforces his ability to handle a wide variety of genre.
I've seen many of his films, and nearly all have left strong impressions.
Writers: While I thought this story was reasonably well done, the combined works of the two screenplay writers
is flat or filled with TV waste.
Is it a good film? Yes
Should you watch this once? Yes
Rating: 7.5.
