Well done from the perspective of a non-reader of the book

Rating: 8/10 (23 May 2006)

First and foremost, I have to say I did not read the book prior to seeing the movie. I have started it today, but only read the prologue, thus, I saw the movie with nothing to compare it to. As with any movie, I found a variety of pros and cons, but by no means were there more cons and pros. I overall would say the movie was extremely enjoyable, and had it not been for the lack of sleep I had obtained over the past three days, might have enjoyed it more.
Lengh of the movie?: This is questionable. The movie obviously needed the time to make sure it got enough of the valid points in. However, unlike King Kong, the time didn't seem wasted or useless. I enjoyed the progression of the story, though I am sure it could have progressed at a slightly faster speed, thus keeping a little more interest early on.
Acting: The acting, I found, to be very well done. My favorite character by all means was Silas. However, from my understanding, he was bigger in the book. IF this is the case, I would have definitely liked to see more of him. Perfectly cast. By no means was Hanks bad, that isn't what I"m saying. But he did leave something to be desired in the chemistry he had on screen. Ian, of course, was great, no question there.
Cinematography: Loved it, there isn't much I can really go into without wanting to give away info, haha, but it really was very well done. Definitely caught my attention, and kept me involved in the movie.
Overall, I could go on, but I would prefer to read the book to do a full review of the movie. From the point of a movie goer, it made sense, it told the story appropriately and kept me interested.
Good job Ron Howard