Overated

Rating: Null/10 (8 November 2001)

When I first saw this film in the theater four years ago, I thought I was witnessing a masterpiece in action. Now, after the dust has settled and the hype is over, I had a chance to review my review. I now think, "what was all the hype about"? In my book, The film gets a solid grade "B" at best. There's no doubt the star of this film was the special effects. Without that, it's just an average movie. The writing was corny, and the acting had a lot to be desired. First and foremost, the woefully miscasting of Leo DiCaprio as the hero. His looks are more like a newspaper boy than world-traveling artist. How am I am supposed to accept DiCaprio as a lover, when he looks as though he has yet to have his first date. Billy Zane's acting was not much better. His character was cartoonish. I half-expected Zane to twirl his mustache, if he had one, saying "Curses, foiled again". Kate Winslet seemed to be the only main star that acted well and had decent lines. Now if James Cameron, with his expertise in special effects, had joined in with a great documentarian such as Ken Burns, together they could have created the greatest documentary of all time.