Well acted and well shot, but I don't get the fuss...

Rating: 5/10 (26 August 2013)

This is one of those movies that anyone I speak to loves. It is this fact that urged me to actually give it a try a couple of years ago and I got halfway through (roughly) and gave up. Last week though I gave it a second shot, and watched it in it's entirety this time around. What I saw wasn't bad but I found myself curious why this movie gets so much praise.
The performances were good, although I think Ed Norton was somewhat incoherent at times of narration. I have no problem with the acting shown here, and I also think as a piece of cinema it is well shot, with good direction. This isn't an entirely negative review.
I must, however, stop the praise here. I think this movie gets more praise than it deserves, and honestly I think it may be in-part down to the cast. Ed Norton was endearing himself to a lot of people at this time and Brad Pitt has always been a massive name, and is an excellent actor.
Where this movie falls down for me is, it doesn't seem to go anywhere. The story is shown in such a way that I felt like it was merely an excuse to show violence at times. Sure, anyone watching a movie called Fight Club surely can't be shocked at some violence, but I saw it as essential to the driving of the movie rather than the additional section I feel it was meant to be.
I also didn't feel like the movie went anywhere in particular. I know it has a plot and it comes to a conclusion, but it never felt like I cared about the ending, a 'twist' that was pretty obvious from early on in the movie, at least for me.
I'm not completely slating this movie, as stated above, it has it's merits. Just not one for me, and I hope i'm not completely alone in thinking this way.
5 out of 10