I had high expectations for this film but sadly it didn't live up to them

Rating: 5/10 (8 January 2010)

I cannot say that this film is really bad or really good but it just didn't do it for me. I have now watched it three times and have not changed my mind after the first time I saw it. It didn't 'feel' right and although I can safely say that a lot of time and effort went into its creation I just cannot in all seriousness recommend this film to anyone. The story line is fairly strong and most of the performances are reasonable but I was not impressed with the special effects. The special effects in my opinion did not enhance my enjoyment of the film indeed they had a negative effect on me. On my initial viewing I was also not at all impressed with the leading man. Russell Crowe in my opinion was given far too much praise for his performance. Joaquin Phoenix was adequate and some of the other performances were OK but in my opinion there was more than one person miscast in this film and overall this is not a good combination. I am not at all interested and never have been that I may be the only one who happens to be a dissenting voice. I will not be watching this film again because its not good enough to hold my attention and it does not have sufficient quality. For the first time viewer who is insistent on watching this film I would say don't get carried away by the hype surrounding this film and just keep an open mind.