Gives new meaning to "Mediocre"

Rating: Null/10 (8 April 2002)

Okay, stop me if you've heard this one before. There was a Greek, an Italian, and a German on this island.... Oh, you've heard it before? Well, that's "Captain Corelli's Mandolin" in a nutshell.
This movie had its ups and downs. The photography was spectacular and the special effects very visual. I was very disappointed with the script and the acting. Were Nicholas Cage and Penelope Cruz awake while they were being filmed? John Hurt did a credible job as the doctor / mayor of the Village, but he was no Anthony Quinn. This was neither a great romance nor a good World War II story. When you compare it to a really great WWII movie about Greece, like "Guns of Navarrone" it doesn't hold up. There were a few funny lines and amusing scenes, especially when the Italians sang opera while the German officer watched, without a clue. This movie dragged on way too long, especially where they kept plodding on and on towards the end, as though they hadn't decided on an ending....