If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

I am afraid that nobody will understand this movie unless he or she doesn't know one of the greatest Hungarian dramatic play of the XIXth century: The Tragedy of Man, written by Imre Madách. The plot: after the loss of the garden of Eden, Lucifer, the demon of Denial shows to Adam and Eve the different ages of mankind, to prove them that there is no reason for them to live. In their dream they live for a while in ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, in medieval Byzantium, in the revolutionary Paris, etc. This is a romantic and pessimistic vision -- with a strange, optimistic ending. The director of this movie had a great idea: he has chosen not grown up actors and actresses, but little boys and girls, so the plot is even more complex, more poetic and more visionary. A beautiful movie to watch -- but if you don't know the drama of Madách, perhaps you won't understand everything. Anyway, it is worth the time!

This is a beautiful and daring adaptation of a classic piece of Hungarian theatre. The play was originally written as "The Tragedy of Man" and to this date is regarded as Imre Madách's masterpiece. The first time I read the play, I was amazed by the breadth and scope of it and actually thought "This will never make it to screen - it's too big."For more information on the play, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imre_Mad%C3%A1ch - warning, the Wiki article contains spoilers.I now own a copy of it and enjoy it every time I watch it. The movie adaptation can be a bit daunting for those who have not read the play, so in my opinion, reading it is defiantly recommended.I only have two issues with the movie:1) Only ten of the original fifteen acts are included.2) The entire cast is children. An interesting conceit, but not really necessary as the original protagonists were written in standard mode, ie: kings, nuns, soldiers, etc. were portrayed as adults.Overall, a very good movie with terrific locations, photography and acting from it's young cast.

The Annunciation is a film which you should watch when you have nothing better to do on an otherwise humdrum day. From the first to last this movie is a kaleidoscope of images, created to mesmerize the mind. Director Andras Jeles uses child actors to weave a visual tapestry of Godly virtues and human weakness intertwine with historical events. Somewhere between the Creation of Man and his Redemption, the viewer is set adrift in a sea of spectral images, who' purpose is known only to the director or to Pablo Picasso. Despite some provocative moments such as baring all with a nude Adam and Eve, the collage of words and historical settings the film overwhelm the viewer and destroys what little message the director intended to impart. From a Western point of view this film is far too complicated to be easily absorbed and thus fails to be recognized as anything but an art form gone mad.

Some movies tell a very good story, others get lost in the imagery and scenes. This movie falls in between both of these cases. I think it starts off telling a great story and from an unique perspective. As the story continues though, it becomes more and more obscure in the historical imagery and myths. By the time the movie ends, you are just grateful to make it until the end, but not without dozing off from time to time.Believe it or not, I still enjoyed it, just don't make a sequel, please!