Would have been a wreck, but for P. Sellers

Rating: 6/10 (2 June 2013)

I get why people like this movie so much, I get the (scary) message it conveys by making us laugh at such a serious issue. What I don't get is the praise of G. C. Scott's performance. He was almost the only character that seemed to me somewhat boring and unlikeable (with the exception of a couple scenes, I'll admit). I very much enjoyed Seller's performance, though. Call me slow, but when I first watched this film, I completely missed the fact he played three different characters! Very solid and versatile acting, thoroughly enjoyable.
As for the pacing, sadly the movie does seem to drag at times. And the moments I found myself genuinely laughing, although plenty enough, were stretched somewhat far apart from each other.
Some elements felt a bit contrived or redundant, e.g. all the officials in the war room just sitting there like props while Turgidson and the president had a 10 minute dialogue. Some of the plane scenes were a bit lengthy and tedious. The terrible accent of the ambassador Alexi (when speaking in Russian) made me cringe, although this won't be an issue for those who don't speak or understand Russian.
The movie is OK to watch once and perhaps deserves a rewatch for the superb comedy and the fantastic acting by P. Sellers. But I don't think it's the best in Kubrick's arsenal. It gets 6/10 from me.