One of the worst films I have ever seen

Rating: Null/10 (27 August 2001)

Dazzling special effects, a sledgehammer soundtrack and
sumptuous costumes don't prevent this film from being among the
worst I have ever seen. The material would have been better used
in a series of pop videos.
A plot that would fit onto a postage stamp and mannekin
characters mean that there is nothing to draw you into the film
while the overblown over-the-top screen antics are in progress.
The film has about as much to do with fin de siecle Paris as a hot
dog - the time and milieu have been most unfaithfully recreated, in
fact it is a travesty of history. Why set the film in turn of the century
Paris if it's really set in the delusionary imagination of a Hollywood
film moghul in 2001?
Underneath all the hype, there are serious structural flaws in the
plot line and characterisation of this film which make it virtually
unwatchable.
I find it puzzling that so many reviews are so positive. What's going
on?
I was relieved when this film finally ended after over two hours, and
I was very glad I hadn't paid to see it. I saw this at a free preview in
the Filmworks Manchester UK on Wednesday 22 Aug 2001.