One of the most overrated "thrillers" of all time! (possible spoilers)

Rating: Null/10 (17 March 2002)

(Possible spoilers follow)
The almost universal acclaim for this movie baffles me! I will give this movie one thing - visually it has some remarkable sequences. But in every other department it stinks. The bottom line is a cliched script that manages to be both pretentious and ultimately meaningless at the same time. We are supposed to believe that a serial killer meticulously plans the murders of complete strangers to symbolize the seven deadly sins (why? Nobody knows. Because "John Doe" reads Dante is the closest we get to a motivation.) yet makes absolutely no effort to cover his tracks. The detectives on the case, one a veteran with one week to retire, the other a dim wit, who appear to have absolutely no idea about basic police procedure, still manage to capture said psychopathic genius via his library books! Because as we all know, anyone who reads 'The Divine Comedy', 'Helter Skelter' and 'Mein Kampf' MUST be a serial killer, right? To continue criticising the sheer stupidity and ludicrousness of the plot and the banality of the characters in this movie is just plain mean. The script is a mess, and no flashy lighting tricks will cover that up. One of the most overrated movies of the decade by one of the most overrated directors currently working. 'Se7en' is a turkey, there's no other word for it.