Not as good as it could have been 6.5/10

Rating: 6/10 (7 December 2007)

This film largely will appeal to a small niche group who know and like the Joy Division music and already knew the story. The film itself is a reasonable attempt, but it is a bit drawn out and uninteresting in parts, it is no masterpiece and is not worthy of an 8+ rating, a 6-7/10 is closer to the mark.
Currently nearly 58% of the vote is rating this as a 9 or 10, I smell a "ramp job" as is the case with so many new movies on IMDb these days.
I also feel that the movie failed to capture the facts as well as it could have. Curtis came across as weak & indecisive and it almost seemed as if his epilepsy was an unfortunate aspect of his life that just added to his feelings of depression. Rather it was a debilitating condition that caused him immense embarrassment and feelings of guilt, self loathing and ultimately lead to deep depression. The degree of impact that his seizures had on his life were understated in the film. Some of the more interesting parts of Curtis's life were omitted or only touched upon in favor of some fairly bland sequences, the book "Torn Apart: The Life Of Ian Curtis" took a much more personal look at his life.
Also the part where Tony Wilson "signed" the band to his label in his own blood is a well known myth/publicity stunt.