Wow!

Rating: 8/10 (16 March 2006)

I just got back from the sold-out 10:00 pm sneak preview at the Imax theater in Natick MA.
First off, let me say that I started reading this story in issue 1 of Warrior, back in 1981. I had to follow it episodically for the next two years or so, then wait years and years for the ending to get published after Warrior went out of business halfway through. So I have been waiting a long time for this movie.
I found it very true to, at least, the spirit of the graphic novel. Many scenes and sequences were straight out of the GN. Natalie Portman turned in a great performance, and Hugo Weaving managed to make a frozen mask convey a range of emotion in a way that David Prowse as Darth Vader never did. Yes, the story was condensed and modified, but it was still the same basic story, most of the characters advanced the same ways, and it made the same points about society and individuals.
Perhaps the most telling thing was that the entire audience was almost dead silent through the entire film. No cheering, no whistling, not even much laughing at the few funny spots. They were just so absorbed, spellbound even. At least that is how I interpreted it.
This is a movie that will not be to everyone's taste, but if you want a movies with good acting and directing, plus action and characterization, I think you would enjoy it. That's as much as I want to say without having any spoilers. :-)