Maybe It's Better On The Big Screen

Rating: 4/10 (24 June 2001)

I have probably missed out on a good part of this film's appeal by only seeing it on video, which medium doesn't really preserve the grandeur of big battle scenes and scenic vistas. Still, I can't imagine the acting or dialogue would be much improved by seeing it in the theatre, and watching it at home allowed the viewing audience to guiltlessly engage in an ongoing game of Spot-The-Cliche. That interactivity and Joaquin Phoenix's OTT performance actually kept us more-or-less tuned in for the full two and a half hours, which puts this ahead of quite a few blockbusters and/or Oscar winners in my personal top ten thousand.