Enjoyment depends on imagination

Rating: Null/10 (8 November 2001)

I've just seen this movie and I cannot believe some of the negative comments by others here. The actors performances are all good, especially kidman who once again demonstrates her versatility and skill as an actress. The cinematography is excellent, bettered only by 'Traffic' this year IMHO.
The screenplay and plot appear to be the bones of contention amongst others. As far as I am concerned, of any movie in recent times, what the viewer gets from this movie depends a lot on their personal imagination. There are no special effects; the suggestive camerawork, the intense acting and the subtle (deliberately) slow-burning storyline are designed to allow you plenty of room to scare yourself in your own imagination. The film is a masterpiece at building tension in the audiences minds. The visuals are intelligent in this regard, and the sometimes minimalist script contributes nicely at suggesting there is more to some characters than they let on.
I can only assume that the people who have criticised the movie as 'drab' and 'slow-moving' are the kind of people with minimal attention span and inactive imaginations who don't enjoy reading books for much the same reasons that they dislike the movie.
In my book, the best tension-builder since The Shining.