It just feels so... empty

Rating: 5/10 (19 April 2018)

I haven't read the book, so no, this is not one of those the-book-is-better reviews.
I came into this expecting great things, because well, it's Spielberg. And the movie indeed started pretty well. I was awed by the world building and excited for the potential of the story, but all that excitement promptly shattered because I quickly realize that behind the visual epicness, the whole thing is just so empty.
Every character feels like a cliché. And it's not because of their characteristics but because their motivations are so boring and their backstories are poorly presented.
For example, one of the main character has a tragic backstory that is only briefly mentioned with one line of dialogue and then entirely forgotten. Another one went through his own tragic but never expresses any feeling towards it for the rest of the movie.
It's like the backstories are not there to raise our suspense or emotions but only to fill a checklist, so once we're already done with them, they can be safely ignored for the movie to move on with the action scenes.
That of course could still work if the actors were a bit more relatable or charismatic. But sadly, the two leads here are way too awkward and boring to carry the movie without a compelling script.
So by the middle of the second act, I already started asking myself why I should care about any of this and if the villain is really so bad. After all, the actor playing the main villain is the only one doing a good job.