This film is visually appealing. Colin Firth is a powerhouse in this film along with actors Ben Chaplin, and Rebecca Hall. The special effects visuals and the dressing of sets and costumes are all fantastic. This all said, the film is as if director Oliver Parker read Oscar Wilde's novel and then watched a 24/7 rerun
of Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut, and then watched the abysmal end of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen for the film's climax. The story of Dorian Gray and his mysterious painting is one of the best tales put to paper, and at first, the first act is set up rather well and the character development is rather nice. But by the time things begin to progress, that is where the story kind of fell apart, the script became rushed and the performance levels of the main star (Ben Barnes) and other supporting actors like Rachel Hurd-Wood diminished, seeminlgly abandoned for a film that looked good as opposed to telling a great story; and even this is only short lived because of the choppy editing of the center of the film. Not horrible, kept my attention, was definitely entertaining and engaging, but the parts that it lacked really could have been avoided if more effort and time were paid to them, and we would have really wound up with a masterwork, but alas, we do not.
September 27, 2011
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