It seems a lot of the criticism of this movie is centered around the historical inaccuracies in this, all of which are very legitimate. But if you take those away, and approach this as a fantastical work, does it work? No, not really, but I think there is still entertainment to be gleamed from it.
There's not point in talking about in the inaccuracies, mostly because there's nothing left to be said, so I think it's best to simply approach this as a fantasy (I'm almost willing to guess that was the whole idea). But that isn't the only problem the film has. The writing, while not terrible, is generic and plodding, with not much of an arc for the characters; in the end, I didn't get the impression that any of the characters really grew or developed much in the end. The effects are.... passable, I guess, for what it's trying to do, but there's not much to marvel at. The acting is also fine, and I do buy and understand the characters, admittedly simple, motivations. One thing, I don't buy though, is the romance, mostly because not enough time is really spent with the two bonding. There aren't enough scenes spent with the romantic leads to give their relationship much substance, other than it exists. I suppose it's not non-existent, but for it to be one of the main motivations, it's not enough.
However, I can't say I didn't enjoy this, or that this movie didn't hold my attention. Some of that may have been the cinematography. One thing I personally think Roland Emmerich has an eye for is spectacle, and unlike a director like Michael Bay, he doesn't indulge in unnecessary shaky cam. To that end, the action is allowed to play out, and the shots are good ones that give a real sense of scale. Also, the premise of this story has a lot of potential, and I think could've worked in the hands of a better writer. I also give credit to the movie for doing a lot of on-location filming, and I suppose if nothing else, I can see there was real effort put into this, and can respect that.
So, in the end, would I buy this movie? No way. Would I maybe rent it? Sure, if it was a slow evening, and I was looking for something to watch before turning in. I know that's not much of an endorsement, but my best recommendation is to take it for what it is, and maybe some entertainment can be found.
A Guilty Pleasure
It seems a lot of the criticism of this movie is centered around the historical inaccuracies in this, all of which are very legitimate. But if you take those away, and approach this as a fantastical work, does it work? No, not really, but I think there is still entertainment to be gleamed from it.
There's not point in talking about in the inaccuracies, mostly because there's nothing left to be said, so I think it's best to simply approach this as a fantasy (I'm almost willing to guess that was the whole idea). But that isn't the only problem the film has. The writing, while not terrible, is generic and plodding, with not much of an arc for the characters; in the end, I didn't get the impression that any of the characters really grew or developed much in the end. The effects are.... passable, I guess, for what it's trying to do, but there's not much to marvel at. The acting is also fine, and I do buy and understand the characters, admittedly simple, motivations. One thing, I don't buy though, is the romance, mostly because not enough time is really spent with the two bonding. There aren't enough scenes spent with the romantic leads to give their relationship much substance, other than it exists. I suppose it's not non-existent, but for it to be one of the main motivations, it's not enough.
However, I can't say I didn't enjoy this, or that this movie didn't hold my attention. Some of that may have been the cinematography. One thing I personally think Roland Emmerich has an eye for is spectacle, and unlike a director like Michael Bay, he doesn't indulge in unnecessary shaky cam. To that end, the action is allowed to play out, and the shots are good ones that give a real sense of scale. Also, the premise of this story has a lot of potential, and I think could've worked in the hands of a better writer. I also give credit to the movie for doing a lot of on-location filming, and I suppose if nothing else, I can see there was real effort put into this, and can respect that.
So, in the end, would I buy this movie? No way. Would I maybe rent it? Sure, if it was a slow evening, and I was looking for something to watch before turning in. I know that's not much of an endorsement, but my best recommendation is to take it for what it is, and maybe some entertainment can be found.