very interesting movie

Rating: 10/10 (11 January 2006)

I appreciated this movie. It was a very moving story. The thing is that they don't show you John Merrick's face until about half-way through the movie. By this time, if you're like me, you've got all sorts of pictures and horrible images running through your head. But when he finally is shown, he's not that bad. He is deformed, and rather repulsive, but as the story goes on, you begin to warm up to him, and feel for him. I still cannot believe how cruel some of the people were in the story. It made me nearly cry. This movie is not for kids, as it shows the darker side of life. It has some startling images, and (if I'm remembering right) the part where the guys force Mr. Merrick to drink something, then pretty much murder him (I won't say how) was, for me, very hard to watch. THIS IS NOT A COMEDY OR LIGHT-HEARTED FILM! It's simply a very sad, and unfortunately true story of the struggles of a man with a deformed face and head who has to move through most of his life without hardly hearing a kind voice, and instead being beaten, laughed at, and eventually dying. I don't remember anything offensive in the way of language. This movie will remind you that even if someone is deformed, that doesn't make them less of a human being. They still have feelings, and need to be loved and cared for like everyone else.