Dorian Gray (2009)
Average Rating: 5/10
Reviews Counted: 37
Fresh: 16 | Rotten: 21
Despite a lavish and polished production, Dorian Gray is tame and uninspired with a lifeless performance by Ben Barnes in the title role.
Average Rating: N/A
Critic Reviews: 2
Fresh: 2 | Rotten: 0
Despite a lavish and polished production, Dorian Gray is tame and uninspired with a lifeless performance by Ben Barnes in the title role.
liked it
Average Rating: 3/5
User Ratings: 44,429
My Rating
Movie Info
A vain London playboy offers his soul in exchange for eternal beauty in this adaptation of the chilling tale by author Oscar Wilde. Seduced into the decadent world of Lord Henry Wotton (Colin Firth), handsome young aristocrat Dorian Gray (Ben Barnes) becomes obsessed with maintaining his youthful appearance, and commissions a special portrait that will weather the winds of time while he remains forever young. When Gray's obsession spirals out of control, his desperate attempts to safeguard his
Watch It Now
Cast
-
Ben Barnes
Dorian Gray -
Colin Firth
Lord Henry Wooton -
Ben Chaplin
Basil Hallward -
Rebecca Hall
Emily Wooton -
Douglas Henshall
Alan Campbell -
Rachel Hurd-Wood
Sybil Vane -
ADVERTISEMENT
Dorian Gray Trailer & Photos
All Critics (37) | Top Critics (2) | Fresh (17) | Rotten (21) | DVD (4)
While Wilde's wit remains firmly entrenched, there's also a gruesome vein of gothic horror, and elements of the original which existed in the subtext or were merely hinted at are brought graphically into the open.
Top CriticThese are interesting ideas, but they would work better if there was more decadence on show earlier on to nail Gray's corruption.
...a misfire of nigh epic proportions...
Like the painting, B-grade horror movie fast loses appeal.
A dismal mess.
click to read full review
If it was Oscar Wilde who said that experience is the name that everyone gives to their mistakes, then this Dorian Gray is quite an experience!
This uneasy mixture of horror and elegant wit, which worked so well originally, never really catches fire thanks to Parker's undistinguished handling.
Colin Firth is perfect as the devil's advocate, as this adaptation of 19th century gothic taps into the modern zeitgeist.
It's a morality tale told through amorality and the pursuit of pleasures of the flesh
There's an edge of psychological horror in director Oliver Parker's third Oscar Wilde story that tells how Ben Barnes' Dorian Gray sells his soul to the devil in return for his youth and beauty
By leaving nothing up to the imagination, Parker destroys the very essence of the film.
An impressive character piece that explores important themes ... as well as embellishing aspects of the original story that have never been fleshed out so elaborately.
Depravity is better suggested than made explicit when it becomes vulgar, pornographic or comic, and possibly all three.
A sturdy piece of heritage horror, as tasteful and handsome as any Brit movie with bustles and frock-coats on its agenda.
A very respectful retelling and study of man's inherent quest for self-destruction given the removal of personal ramifications.
Teenagers will love this film. They will love it because there are lots of close-ups of Barnes being done unto or doing unto others. As a vehicle for a rising and undeniably talented star, it hits the spot.
An ambitious if decidedly uneven interpretation of the last great Gothic horror novel.
Wilde survives intact - and with some flair - although the results will do more for sixth-form literature students and their teachers than for film connoisseurs.
Some neat formal flourishes from its director Oliver Parker and a truly handsome supporting turn from Colin Firth, this story demands a more versatile and charismatic central player than the powerfully blank Ben Barnes.
Audience Reviews for Dorian Gray
Super Reviewer
Super Reviewer
-
- Dorian Gray: Some things are more precious because they don't last.
-
- Lord Henry Wooton: Experience makes us strong.
-
- Lord Henry Wooton: Life is a moment, there's no hereafter.
-
- Lord Henry Wooton: I suggest we raise a little hell.
-
- Lord Henry Wooton: 'Conscience.' It's just a polite word for 'cowardice.' No civilized man regrets a pleasure.
Discussion Forum
There are no discussion threads for Dorian Gray yet.
What's Hot On RT
Every Star Trek movie listed
Star Trek is Certified Fresh
Forest Whitaker serves the White House
Trailer for Tom Hanks thriller
Featured on RT
- Weekly Ketchup: Will Smith to Star in Wild Bunch Remake? 26
- Critics Consensus: Star Trek Into Darkness is Certified Fresh 78
- Red Carpet Roundup: Star Trek Into Darkness Edition 0
- Video Interviews with Katie Aselton & Lake Bell of Black Rock 2
- VIP Access: Eli Roth talks Aftershock 1
- Total Recall: Star Trek Movies 87
- Parental Guidance: Star Trek Into Darkness 18
Top Headlines
-
J.J. Abrams Talks Star Trek Into Darkness, Star Wars, and More
0
-
Vin Diesel Says Fast & Furious 7 Will Begin a New Trilogy
4
-
Mickey Rourke Confirmed for Expendables 3
3
-
Brad Bird Still Mulling Incredibles 2
0
-
Reese Witherspoon, Jena Malone, and Martin Short Join Inherent Vice
0
-
Bruce Willis Makes an Expiration Date
2
-
Drew Pearce Hired for Mission: Impossible 5
0
Fresh Links
Featured
Star Trek Movies Ranked
HitFix offers their own take on the worst-to-best of the Enterprise crew's cinematic adventures.
Top 10 Star Trek Villains
Rolling Stone unveils the Enterprise's most irksome adversaries.
Celebrity Yearkbook Flashback
We'll bet you never realized how many stars were cheerleaders and high school athletes!
50 Most Classic Movie Moms
In celebration of Mother's Day, TimeOut offers up 50 iconic matriarchs from the big screen.
Weirdest Movie Siblings
From Twins to The Royal Tenenbaums, Moviefone explores cinema's oddest siblings.
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter!
Spice up your feed with hourly Tomatometer updates!
Foreign Titles
- Das Bildnis des Dorian Gray (DE)
- Le Portrait de Dorian Gray (FR)
