How sad is this?

Fantastic!

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

I just happened upon this movie out of boredom. I do not have any personal stake in this movie like those who have read the books. It is a interesting movie, and due to the caliber of the cast, the acting is above average. It is definitely of better quality than Twilight in every aspect. Bottom line; I'm slightly older than 18, and I enjoyed the movie. However, the main characters' southern accents are horrible; especially the lead actor. In all honesty, it was distracting. Individuals in SC do not have a Louisiana drawl. Lord help!

The user reviews seem invested in two separate issues - whether this is a faithful adaptation of the books or whether it is a worthy successor to the Twilight series. Given that my wife forced me to watch this movie - and I have never seen a Twilight film and don't plan on it in the near future - I thought I could add some perspective not covered by the other reviews. First, this is a terrible movie. The plot is convoluted and basically involves a rather mundane version of the "love conquers all" narrative. If you've ever watched a teen movie, you probably can trace its broad contours, although it adds a weird Civil War backstory and some witch crap for seemingly no reason. The best (and most interesting) moments of the entire movie are when you strip out the fantasy garbage and focus on the teens being normal people, even though, for the most part, they are both unremarkable characters. Second, this movie is a ridiculously stereotypical portrait of the South, one that somehow simultaneously is disrespectful to its residents and somehow at the same time manages to neatly avoid all its problems. For starters, if you're looking for anything close to a respectful depiction of race relations, you're going to be sadly disappointed. The only two black characters are a popular teenager with no brain and the equivalent of the Jamaican voodoo doctor. In addition, the Southern white characters are portrayed as basically stupid hicks, who do weird things like pray in class and talk about Satanism. Especially in contemporary society, teenagers are relatively homogenized by YouTube culture, and they are a little more sophisticated than religious fanatics. Basically, every single character is a stereotype. Interestingly enough, though, the movie even insults our intelligence by failing to depict the rampant self- segregation throughout the South. The movie doesn't even attempt to touch anything about race and uses the Civil War mostly as a set piece to talk about the lives of white people. Granted, I don't watch a lot of teenage dramas, but it's insulting to think that they aren't capable of the critical awareness that is necessary to responsibly deal with these questions. Honestly, it's embarrassing that such high-profiled actors would be involved in this kind of movie that romanticizes the plantation and whitewashes Southern life. On top of that, the casting in this movie is ridiculous. Jeremy Irons is just not believable as an old Southern gentleman, and for all my respect for him as an actor, he's absurd in this part. The main actor has a Southern accent that made me literally laugh when he walked on the screen. Emma Thompson, to her credit, is much better in her role, but sometimes it seems like she's struggling to add depth to the lines. I actually thought Viola Davis was the only actor who "stood out" as being effective in her particular role. I could say more about the movie. The soundtrack, for example, was laughably heavy-handed, and I haven't even begun to talk about issues of gender representation. However, suffice to say, this movie reveals quite a bit about Hollywood's insulting perception of teenagers. They are capable of thinking at a deeper level than is shown in this movie. I continue to be amazed at how Hollywood "talks down" to its audience and then is surprised at why movie profits decline because people choose to stay at home and watch good television. I don't think the question of whether this movie stayed true to its source material is a particularly interesting one - it's difficult for me to imagine a way this particular plot with these characters could ever become something more than pop drivel.

Having never personally read the book, and even being unaware that there is a book series until checking out the film, I am only able to rate the film as it stands. I can understand why people would be upset that the film doesn't live up to the books; I have had that several times with book series that I love. Yet it is surprising to see that others would down rate the film on a standalone basis.Granted, even to my Southern English ears I can hear that Jeremy Irons has a terrible Southern US accent. Yet despite that he is still a versatile actor. The film itself is done in a comedic way, even though this is supposed to be a fantasy suspense romance. Even with the moments that made me jump, I ended up laughing at a few of them. And the storyline had me completely enraptured throughout.The ending was heart breaking, yet with funny and positive moments to break you away from the sadness. The ending scene shows that they could easily make a sequel, if they wanted to, but it's just rounded up enough to make it a standalone. And, from what I've now read up about the books, perhaps it's best that way.All in all, a film I'd happily revisit sometime. And it has tempted me enough to check out the books that it's based on!

There are a few movies that tackle the concept of love truly magically. I am not talking about unconventional friendships or the such. Rather, the usual boy/ girl romance is dealt with in a recognizable format. The difference is something that is felt more than seen. This is not your usual star crossed lovers fare. There is a beauty in this film that seeps through the entire thing. Lena and Ethan are my new favourite people to watch (amongst many of course). Alice Englert has proved herself many times over by now, and Alden Ehrenreich is an absolute treat. I couldn't be happier he's going to be young Solo. But, I digress. The movie is full of stalwart performances from Viola Davis, Jeremy Irons, and Emma Thompson to name a few. The story line, I believe, is much cropped and chopped from the books, but it holds its own. The effects are alright. Overall, it is the story of the two lovers that holds you. Their chemistry is absolutely brilliant and you really find yourself cheering for them. Ethan Wate is the bumbling village boy who is not as stupid as the others, and Lena is the mysterious beauty from out of town. This is a perfect, modern Romeo-Juliet with a twist of fantasy thrown in.