Denno1972

One of the things I love ablut cinema is that I cannot second guess it, and it still therefore has the ability to surprise me.

I really liked the early Wes Anderson movies but then his output really because patchy and he made a couple of films I found dull in th extreme (which is unbelievable given how inventive, original and exciting his earlier works were).

I came to this therefore with trepidation and most probably acceptance I wouldn't like this especially after reading a couple of imdb reviews slating this, by self proclaimed Anderson fans.

I was therefore very surprised by how much I loved this. For me, personally, it's up there just below his best (Life Equatic is my favourite). I loved the look and feel of it, it felt wonderous, had superb characters and was very, very funny. Did I get it all? Did I like the bits in between, in black and white, most probably not fully. Do I care? Not a jot.

Cinema. Got to love it.

I saw this without seeing any synopsis and without seeing any reviews.

I think i have seen all of PTA's films and I like all of them and I liked this.

However, after having subsequently seeing the critics reviews for this, I am surprised and a little shocked at the reviews. 'A film of generations'? 'Best film of the decade'? A masterpiece? Not for me.

It's fun, it has a side swipe and America and the modern world, which I liked, it has has some fantastic performances (Di Caprio is great but Del Torro is masterful) and it has some great set pieces. It is also messy, doesn't have much of a story line and the writing and performance by the usually excellent Sean Penn grated on me. I also found the score, particularly in the second half distracting and not in a good way.

Overall, it's a mixed bag, albeit an enjoyable movie. Is PT Anderson the another Nolan and the critics adore all his work no matter what? Quite possibly.