Ok then...a few of ya'll were asking me to give a 'real' review of this movie, having heard the critic's slam of it... so here's my thought about it..

I loved the book, I read it a couple of years ago some of ya'll might remember having recommended it to me and it took me only 2 days to get thru it...So with Tom Hanks and Ron Howard behind the wheel, it was gonna be a great movie...so its really hard to feel this way about the movie, but I came away feeling 'bleh'...I don't hate it like the critics do, but I don't love it as much as I wanted to...and I really wanted to...the analogy is like visiting your favorite relative for dinner, and they serve a dinner that is inedible...

I felt like it was flat and at times even boring...even tho I KNEW what was going to happen...I'm not sure exactly what it is that's making me feel this way...Brian enjoyed it, and apparently so are lots of folks ($224mil weekend is pretty impressive, I must say!)...what was I expecting? The excitement and pacing of the book was lost...it seemed like the people on screen were just walking thru their scenes, reciting their lines like robots...the movie did start to sparkle and pick up pace when Ian McKellen was on screen, he's always money...and I like Tom Hanks and even thought his hairstyle was appropriate for the role...there were a few variations from the book, but nothing that made the story veer terribly...so what's the problem?

I tossed and turned a lot thinking about the movie after we got home...trying to absorb what I just saw, trying to decide if I liked it or not...and I'm still not sure...I want the movie to do well...I don't find it as tedious as I did the Narnia movie (granted, I dont't know that story, so I guess it just didn't click with me)...and is it fair to compare it to other movies I enjoy? or should I just compare it to the book, or just judge it on it's own merit?

I took a class in college about film theory and the one thing I took away from that class is that I should be able to back up what I like and dislike about a movie, not just say 'it was great' or 'I liked it' and not be able to give examples...and that's what's bugging me right now...I know how I FEEL, but i'm not sure WHY... so that's what I'll be thinking more about...the 'why'...why did I come away from it with this feeling? was it the acting, or lack of? was is the actors themselves, who I usually quite enjoy...was it the screenplay/adaption? pacing? direction? I can say the sets and locales are enjoyable to watch...

If you've seen it and feel one way or another about it, lemme know and i'll post your remarks here (anonymously, no worries)... and I'll keep thinking about it...maybe I just need to see it again...?