Just how overrated can a movie be?

Rating: 4/10 (21 July 2003)

I was kind when I cast my vote for this movie -- the pure spectacle alone earned it some credit for me, despite the fact it was a real mess. Wandering through the better part of three hours, and largely dispensing with plot for extended stretches, this is almost a classic example of how bloated and directionless a project can become when you give a noted director carte blanche to try to create a world, rather than a story. The movie LOOKS great, or at least authentic. But the plot meanders, the situations are contrived, at best, and the only actor able to rise above the muck to leave an impression is the inimitable Daniel Day-Lewis, returning to the big screen for the first time in half a decade. Despite all kinds of star power, the movie just sits there on the screen begging the question, "why was this made"?
Catch it on cable, if you must. Don't worry about missing the beginning, or the end, or any other portion of it. A half hour or so should suffice to give you an idea of what the movie is about, and just about any half hour will do.