Mediocre story saved by cinematographic contrivance

Rating: 6/10 (17 November 2001)

Perhaps because this movie was rated SO HIGHLY, my viewing was tainted by unrealistically bolstered expectations. Maybe...
There was a strange twist of irony at work here: the more I watched this film the less I liked it. What began as a wonderfully, refreshing look at (reverse) story-telling, became less entertaining and more tedious with each passing (and re-passing) flash-back (or is that flash-forward?)
Part of this film played like an old Twilight Zone episode I recall seeing many years ago. And that's not a bad thing. I enjoyed piecing together the "why" of the plot, since we already knew the "what." However, generally uninteresting and unappealing characters mar the performances, and while our hero may be unaware of time, as a viewer I was painfully aware of how his film seemed to drag, lacking a good sense of timing. As for the ending, it too could have been given the same delicious touches as the beginning sequence, but alas, it does nothing to reward the viewer for having endured the bulk of the film.
One reviewer commented how well this HIGHLY RATED film will hold up in another few years when compared to the classics. Others have asked how on earth it could have rated so high to begin with. The former will be answered on its own, and I believe time will not be too kind. The answer to the latter is akin to the McDonald's Syndrome: Those who grew up eating Big Macs on a regular basis erroneously come to believe it's actually good food. Perhaps compared to what Hollywood is offering these days, Memento is indeed gourmet fare. To me, it's still just a hamburger. (6 out of 10).