A Disappointing Continuation

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

'The Great Dictator (1940)' is a smart, pointed and subversive satire that's all the more impressive when you take into account the fact it was made during a time when most people weren't keyed into the true nature of the Nazis, nor was the full extent of either the war or Hitler's atrocities underway. I'd consider this Chaplin's finest film precisely because it is so brave, boldly taking a stance against a very real threat and using its comedy to send a message of love for all humanity at a time when the world needed it the most, and would soon need it even more. Its satire is used in a number of ways: to lampoon dictatorships, as well as a certain someone in particular; to heighten the ultimately ridiculous and power-hungry motives of its targeted regimes; and to create sympathy for those being unjustly persecuted. It is comedy that works on many levels and the balance between the usual slapstick 'Chaplin' style with the more pointed satirical stuff is a usually deft one. The flick brings everyone down to the same level and never seems mean-spirited. It makes sure to include some darker elements, though, so as not to make light of the situation entirely. Indeed, its slapstick asides do ever-so-often seem slightly too immature compared to its real darkness and on-point political themes. This is never a true problem, however, and the sequences in question don't last for too long, while also serving a purpose. There are some jokes that cut too close to the bone, though - since they sometimes have a startling and sobering accuracy, unseen when they were first made. These are impossible to laugh at nowadays, unlike the more general jokes which can be taken for what they are despite the gravity generally associated with them. The piece also takes somewhat of a slow detour towards its final movement, during which time the heart of the story is sort of lost. However, this flick still resonates strongly today. Its timeless message is told with an endearing execution, whether that be through its direct final speech or through its layered satire. The film has a point and makes tells it well, actually feeling incredibly important. It's just as impactful 78 years after its release, perhaps more so. It is also an interesting historical study about using your medium to take a stand, even if everyone else tells you not to. 9/10

Undoubtedly this is not Charles Chaplin's best work. This guy is a legend but sadly his performance in this film was not nowhere near legendary.The story was not well written and lacked quality humor in it. Some of the scenes were unnecessarily long and dull. If the film's run time was one and half hour long then the film would have been more enjoyable.Charles Chaplin's performance was good but it was not his usual excellent work. I think the script failed him badly. Because the story didn't stick to the character all the time, sometimes it went off the character and did something which does not fit the character they build up.All in all it is a good movie but does not deserve this much high ratings.

Charles Chaplin was one of the first and one of the greatest actors directing himself. "The Great Dictator", which he also wrote, premiered in 1940 while Hitler was growing stronger and stronger in Europe. Looking back, it's hard to imagine a movie more current. Not surprisingly, it was banned in Germany until 1958. The speech in the end of movie has, rightly so, long since reached a level of immortality.

Sure the project is honorable and courageous to kick dictators and alert about the oppressed but a movie is not a political work but an artistic one: honestly i tried to watch it but after 20 minutes of unfunny jokes, heavy pantomimes and silly grimaces, i had enough... The production looks cheap or the sets are really badly build, the scenes are tedious, endless, ... so that's really not my kind of fun and it's really discourages me of watching any Charlot movie after that! For the same subject, prefer the comics Maus!