I dare to call it overrated.

Rating: 7/10 (29 April 1999)

I am usually wary of hyped-up films, but I usually regard old films exempt. Given the technical difficulties they had to overcome, I strive to not take modern cinematography for granted. Yet, I dare call "Citizen Kane" overrated.
A movie, to be a movie, needs to be a movie. This is not as simple as it sounds. "Citizen Kane" has a solid plot, realistic characters, deep themes, thoughtful dialogue, and good cinematic effects (for what they had to work with). To one who hasn't seen it, that sounds like a darn good film. Unfortunately, on the last part, it goes overboard. I.e., the story falls secondary to cinematic sequences so overt (even cheesy) they spawned countless parodies. If one accepts my definition of a movie as a system of plots, themes and characters enhanced by its portrayal on a movie screen, Wells has this system of movies and special effects completely backwards!
Maybe it's personal opinion, but I believe cinematic effects should subtly enhance the story, not drown it. Yet some of the sequences in "Citizen Kane", such as the mirrors images and jigsaw puzzle sequences, scream at my eyes. I may not catch everything, but what I do catch sure insults my intelligence. If technology indeed forced Wells to be this blatant, he may just as well have given up and omitted the scenes instead.
This is not the best movie ever made. To earn that title, a movie has to be more movie than effect. It's an impressive piece of work, but it also shows how old-timers are just as vulnerable to movie hype as today's youngsters.