A wonderful, intelligent movie that is likely the most influential overall to cinema ever

Rating: 9/10 (8 December 2018)

Going into watching Citizen Kane, I was apprehensive that the movie would be beyond me or, through my modern age goggles, I would fail to see any beauty and see just another boring, old movie. I'm glad that those concerns were silly, as the script and makeup hold up quite well today. This is an intellectual film that touches on many aspects of life, but at its core is a deep character study of Kane. The uses of multiple timelines and pairing the early montage with the deep development we get throughout was effective in giving the audience perspective on Kane. We see Kane's self-absorption and lack of empathy play out and devolve his life from one of ambition and enjoyment to, as he eventually has everything material he could want, a sad one where he struggles to find meaning. I thought the rosebud plot point and reveal at the end was absolutely brilliant and actually did live up to the hype it built all movie. In a life where Kane chased fame and the love of others while never really doing anything for others or holding any deeper values or desires, in his last moments he is brought back to that day where everything changed, where he was given all the money he could want and that power so young (along with being taken away from his parents and his casual, carefree playing). He remembers those fun, jovial childhood times with nostalgia, and Rosebud, the sled, is a representation of the undiluted happiness he lost when he received money and power. While there may have been times it didn't engage quite as much (the opera related scenes felt a bit drawn out), it is a great movie whose influence on the great movies that came after it is obvious. I'll have to let it sit in my mind a bit more before I finally decide on whether it's a 9 or 10 for me (I'm leaning 9 now because while it was wonderful and brilliant at many points, it wasn't quite that enjoyable throughout and isn't one I'd think of as one of my favorite or most engaged watching experiences. Its argument would be similar to that of 12 Years a Slave, which was a 10 because it's just such an important, brilliantly made and relevant movie. Between intelligence and influence, Citizen Kane definitely has a case). Either way, it's a great movie and one that actually deserves its regard as an all-time classic.