In a word: overrated.

Rating: 3/10 (17 January 2003)

I have the sneaking suspicion that most people were enthusiastic about this movie for one reason and one reason only: Stanley Kubrick directed it. Other than that, in my opinion, there is little reason to watch it. I have not yet had the chance to read the original story, although I would like to, given the fact that it is a German tale. I can only hope that it is better than this on-screen adaptation.
I found this movie to be boring. I could barely keep myself in front of the television through to the end, and I was almost angry with myself that I had, given the fact that it ends in about the worst possible manner. It has one of the lamest endings in recorded history. All in all, I would say you are far better off to spend your time watching Stanley Kubrick's earlier works. They FAR surpass this confused, pointless, uninteresting work. The only reason I rated it above a 1 is that some of the scenes are visually stimulating and put together well. Unfortunately, that doesn't really make up for the fact that, in my opinion, it's a really weak film.