I have put a lot of store in Metacritic ratings, but found their rating on this surprisingly far from mine own impression (them 37 me 71). This is rare, but then again I rarely go see movies if they rate it below 70. Stoppard is a genius, and as a production designer I can't pass up a film whose trailers show decent period design, so i had to go see it on the big screen.
The design here was indeed pretty good, a little stagy on the interiors and a bit too obvious CGI, but worth the price of admission on its own none the less. The acting is actually very good, and the script has some nice subtleties, with a clever, satisfying and unusually nuanced resolution.
Perhaps part of what turned the critics were the expectations. The budget was high, the cast renowned and everyone agrees that Stoppard is a genius, leading to some let down for what might have been. But you need to meet a piece of art where it stands and not where you hoped it might be, and this is a much better film that its reviews suggest.
The design here was indeed pretty good, a little stagy on the interiors and a bit too obvious CGI, but worth the price of admission on its own none the less. The acting is actually very good, and the script has some nice subtleties, with a clever, satisfying and unusually nuanced resolution.
Perhaps part of what turned the critics were the expectations. The budget was high, the cast renowned and everyone agrees that Stoppard is a genius, leading to some let down for what might have been. But you need to meet a piece of art where it stands and not where you hoped it might be, and this is a much better film that its reviews suggest.