Reviews

Even if you had not read the book, you will not enjoy this moving because the acting is truly terrible. Most of the characters are laughable and annoying. If you have read the book, dont even start this movie. It has nothing to do with the book except in the most superficial ways, and will annoy the hell out of you as you try and figure out why. I started this movie five times to try and get through it. I am sorry I wasted my time.

This is one of Ron Howard's best movies, but it is viewed by many as one of his worst. The fact is, it is indeed one of his best. The characters are perhaps a bit simple, with simple perspectives, but this a movie about firemen. From Ron Howards perspective, these are simple people who risk their lives because they love the rush.

But within this community there is one individual who starts fires for the rush. Who and why? That is the challenge for the viewer and the answer is the whole point of the movie. Most critics miss the point of the whole movie and think this is a movie about two brothers who don't get along and are in competition. Then the movie is indeed superficial and not all that interesting.

Treat this movie as a mystery, and you will appreciate the plot. The acting is excellent, the music is superb and the scenes involving fire are unique and engrossing. Enjoy the movie for what it is. Don't complain about what it was never intended to be. Anyone who looks at this movie as Greek tragedy deserves to be disappointed. This is great entertainment.

This is not a great film, but it is far, far better than the 5 average it has received. It is a mystery with a bit of science fiction added, and I suspect it is the science fiction part that is bothering some of the viewers. But even if you hate science fiction, you should give this movie a view because it will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time. Who is good and who is evil? You will not know until the very end, and the ending will be nothing like you have seen before. You will be left breathless and it will make you think. The acting is very good, and the timing and discontinuities are very well designed to keep you guessing. Don't miss this movie if you have a chance to see it.

You will never see Meg Ryan in a role like this. She was phenomenal and it is unfortunate she did not get more roles like this. Dennis Quaid and Gwyneth Paltrow were also excellent and these three make the film worth watching. James Caan is fine, but his role is so one- dimensional that no actor can do much with it, and indeed he didn't.

This film is a must see because of the characters. The plot is compelling and very dark, but the characters shine through and illuminate each other in a way that is unique because each character has dimensions that are not explained. Paltrow's character seems like a throwaway, but may be the most important of all. If I were teaching a course on film, I would select this one and ask the students to explain why it works. I usually think I know why a film is excellent, and yet after this film ended, I knew I could not put it into words. The purpose of this review is to suggest you watch this one if you get a chance because you may love it. Most who watched this movie were pleased but unenthusiastic. This film is much, much better than the 6.2 rating it had when I checked.

How is it possible that some people love this movie and others hate it? Those that do not like it cannot feel the acting is not first rate, because it is. The music is superb and the cinematography breathtaking. I realize that using three Chinese actors in a Japanese film was not politically correct, but who cares. The movie is so well done that it should be considered a classic, and probably will be when the smoke clears.

The term "memoirs of another kind" was taken from the movie, and I used it to emphasize that this is not the story of a powerful person who achieves greatness and has impact on the world. It is another kind- of a person whose fate is carried by the currents of tradition and honor, and about a love that is powerful enough to survive against odds that are both the story and the tragedy of this film. To those who say that this is a film only a woman could enjoy, there is enough pride, deceit and cruelty to please any man who likes a good horror story. That a human spirit is not trampled in the process is what makes this a great story, and that the movie provides a stunningly accurate mirror of the book is the reason this male gave this a ten. It is a classic and a must see. It will stay with you for days, and give you both hope for the human condition and resignation that humans are seriously flawed.

I have written a number of reviews of movies. Some I loved, and I was able to tell you why. Some I hated, and it was a simple matter to explain what was wrong. But this movie grabbed me and would not let go. I loved the main character (1900), and felt I knew him, but never felt I understood him or what made him . It had beautiful characters, elegant and inspiring music, and a story that was a psychological and musical thriller. Woody Allen would call it weird city, but it might as well have been written by him. It has the same melancholy tint and strange attitudes that make a Woody Allen film a classic. But to me this was better than all but a few of his movies.

So all I ask is that you give this movie a chance. I cannot tell you why you should, but this is a story that could only be told in a movie. A book would fail completely. It is not the story. It is not the music, but the music is beautiful. It is the whole package.

I watched this movie based on the comments of a few that said that is was bad but funny. But you need to be warned that this movie has the worst special effects ever produced. They make 1950s science fiction movies look like works of art. This is funny at times, but annoying for the most part. And to compound the problem with the seriously pathetic special effects is the total lack of logic that characterized a majority of the events depicted. One of my favorites is where three of the characters drop hundreds of feet into a tunnel created by the arachnia and arrive to find it fully lit. Apparantely the arachnia have also managed to hook into the power grid. Very impressive. But this is just one example. And for what its worth, the music sucks, the acting sucks, the two cute girls are annoying, the obnoxious guy is annoying, the so-called handsome lead man is a geek, and the black girl who fall for him is a fool. Her father is the worst actor I have ever seen. I am not sure the brief moments of humor can possibly make up for the experience.

This is a movie with many layers, and no two people will see the same story when they watch it. That is how it was intended for even the writer and director made it clear that options exist for interpretation. For me this is an allegory which reflects upon the role of how one's perspective on life is influenced by how one views God and the gods of science and religion. Michael Andrews music is superb and adds a depth worthy of this classic. Those who watch this movie as science fiction will enjoy it, because this movie is a science fiction classic. Alternate universes, time travel and the possibility that two alternate universes can impact each other are handled with a subtle brush that leaves open many interpretations. But when the movie is watched a second time, the science fiction is replaced with the notion of a mind game with each character reflecting an aspect of the human response to a world driven by religion, science and desire. The third viewing allows the two competing (and conflicting) views to interact in a strange way that gives this movie the depth that keeps bringing people back again and again. If you own only one movie, this would be a logical choice because you can watch it repeatedly and find something new each time.

What happens when you combine mystical Japanese computer art with a brooding Polish mythology that no matter how creative you are, your lives are controlled by others. An interesting story that has just enough clues to make it possible to follow, but with a few surprises and a few unanswered questions. But the best part of this movie is the music of Kenji Kawai that has a life of its own and will keep you rewinding the credits to hear it again and again. It appears that the Warsaw Philharmonic Symjphony Orchestra played much of the background music, and the quality is stunning. There is much to criticize in this film too, as there are too many unanswered questions left to the imagination of the viewer. When do we leave the game and reenter reality, or is reality the game, and Avalon is the only way to find a world worth exploring. And how can the main character go on for days without eating? Welcome to Avalon.

This is one of the best science fiction movies of recent history. Although it has its share of flaws (special effects are weak and the acting is mixed), but the plot is excellent and the concepts and implications introduced regarding time travel creative and thought provoking. The movie starts out with a plane that is in the process of falling out of the sky due to a midair collision. The copilot exits the cabin to find all of the passengers are already dead. The question is why, and neither we nor the main character, know the answer until later on in the story. But from this point on (and this is no spoiler as it happens in the first three minutes) all those who love stories about time travel, and the paradoxes and potentials therein are in for a great ride. The short story that this movie is based on (Air Raid) is also a classic and worth reading, but hard to find.