A cinematic masterpiece?

Rating: Null/10 (12 January 2002)

Your first reaction is that you have just viewed a cinematic masterpiece.
It's weird, it makes you think, it holds your attention, it pulls you in. By the typical standards of modern film, these are all the marks of a really great movie. So, you continue thinking about it: you pour a glass of wine, turn back on all the lights, and sit down at the computer. You start aimlessly playing Solitaire, or maybe Minesweeper, letting your mind freely roam both the landscape of the movie, and your response.

As you sit there, you begin to realize a disturbing thing: the plot is not all that interesting. This is not to say that the movie isn't interesting, or that it doesn't hold your attention. But you begin to think maybe the setup, the back-to-front format, is what really held your attention.
So now you begin to consider the movie more deeply; you are grudgingly willing to admit that perhaps you were caught up in a layout, but you cannot believe that the creative format of the movie could have so completely engrossed you. No, you reason, there is something more, something that makes it interesting, something that is missing from many movies...
And then it hits you: the theme. The point of the movie, its contribution to society, and the part that absolutely engrosses you is the theme; the moral; the lesson. What does this film tell us about the human condition? Who are the heroes, and who are the villains?
Which one are you?
As you sit back to analyze the movie in detail, your final impression comes to you, and you know exactly what to think of this movie: You have just viewed a cinematic masterpiece.