Inaccuracy Throughout

Rating: 7/10 (31 January 2015)

This horribly inaccurate historical epic tells the story of William Wallace. As a young boy his father led a failing rebellion against the British rule in Scotland. Years later William Wallace decides to lead his own Scottish rebellion, after his wife is raped by British soldiers. He unites the people of Scotland and uses smart military tactics to bring down the strongest military force of the time. Bloody, gruesome battle scenes are shown throughout this movie, to depict the true horrors of the fights for freedom. William Wallace was a real man, but most of the rest of this film (about 90%) was fictionalized for dramatic emphasis. This did not result in a bad film, but just an inaccurate one.
Soundtrack: 10- Using bagpipes for a good portion of the movie's soundtrack gave a dramatic and well put together atmosphere for the movie. An excellent job.
Script: 5- Due to horrible inaccuracies and sometimes strange speeches, the movie suffered. This comes down to a writer who didn't seem to care, and a director who cared even less.
Originality: 8- The story of William Wallace had not been done on such a scale before, but the rebellion story has been done many times. Had this been an accurate depiction, the score could have been slightly better.
Cinematography: 10- The director may not have cared about the story, but boy did he have an eye for detail. The camera-work was amazing, and gave the feeling of being a part of the events most of the time.
Casting: 7- Mel Gibson is a great actor, but he himself knew that he was way too old for the part. Most of the other actors fit their roles well, although there were a few questionable choices.
Acting: 7- Mel Gibson is a very convincing man in at the main role. However, some of the supporting actors took me out of the movie at times. I felt in those moments that I was watching a movie, and I never want to remember that when I watch. I want to be so immersed that I forget that I am watching a movie.
Overall: 7.8
Personal Rating: 7- I did not hate this film, but there was so much that could have been done better.