One of the Greatest Movies I've Ever Seen

Rating: 10/10 (28 April 2001)

I took this movie off of my grandmother's hands to own without ever having watched it before, so of course, I was a bit suspicious when I popped this into my VCR last night. My suspicions soon melted and I found myself captivated with one of the most extraordinary movies I've ever seen.
Robin Williams portrays new English teacher John Keating. He's not like the other teachers, who simply lecture information. He displays his lessons through charm, spite, and action, encouraging his students to "Cease the day! Make your lives extraordinary!" He tries to encourage free thinking among his students when the other teachers try to shoot that down.
He especially garners the interest of Neil Perry (Robert Sean Leonard), a free spirit who's held down by the rules and hardness of his father (Kurtwood Smith), Todd Anderson (Ethan Hawke), who lives somewhat in the shadow of his brother and has a timid, shy streak, Knox Overstreet (Josh Charles), the rebel of the group, and their friends. When they find that Mr. Keating was once in a mysterious club, called The Dead Poets Society, they decide to resurrect this club among themselves. This club, Mr. Keating, and their friendship arouse unknown talents and creativity from inside.
This movie was great in every possible way. Robin Williams once again showed us his versatility playing fun-loving but serious at heart John Keating. My personal favorite was Robert Sean Leonard, who perfectly displayed for this movie's audience the ambition and spirit that Neil had within, but which would immediately go into hiding when he'd be intimidated by his father. All of the teenagers were excellent in this movie.
The camera work was beautiful. The turns, the angles, everything just made you get into the story. The musical score had the same effect. Whatever emotion was supposed to be making up the scene, you felt it when that score was played.
This is Peter Weir's masterpiece at the moment. Truly a great film. This has successfully made my top 2 (at #2). 10 out of 10. How this film lost at the Academy Awards, I'll never know.