Not the greatest EVER, but...

Rating: Null/10 (31 January 2002)

When a movie is advertised as being the greatest ever before you've seen it, there is a certain level of expectation and anticipation during the initial viewing. Certainly, this may have been the greatest movie of its time, but after viewing it in 2002 I could name about 10 movies I thought were better than Citizen Kane. I'm not about to start an "O-VER-RATE-ED..*clap clap clap-clap-clap*" chant or anything, but I think it is a reflection just on how much movies have evolved since 1941. Surely, this was a classic story, with Charles Kane living his American Dream, but I was just not totally engaged with the story-telling and the acting. It was boring at times, and when it could have made "the leap" and totally captivate, it just dragged.
But keeping it in perspective, I can see how this was the landmark movie of its time. There were innovative camera angles and expansive, elaborate sets, particularly the interior of his palace toward the end of the movie. I would hardly call this the greatest movie ever; I don't know if it is fair to label any movie as the greatest ever. Nevertheless, Citizen Kane was most likely the greatest movie of its era, and should be required viewing for everyone, simply for them to decide if it really is the "greatest movie ever."