dbogosian-1

Cyrano is one of the greatest stories ever written, and this adaptation does it justice with creativity, artistry, and style. Did it need to be a musical? I think not, and I don't think it helped overall, but it did provide one wonderful element: the choreography was visually exceptional, so many memorable scenes of soldiers drilling, bakers kneading, etc. The overall production is simply beautiful to watch. The Mediterranean locale makes for some beautiful scenes (though maybe not fitting for the real Bergerac). The battle scenes are in some moon-like setting utterly devoid of color, also beautifully shot.

Acting is mostly very good, with Cyrano and Roxanne in top form. Christian was a let-down. And in certain key moments, I found the two leads also a little flat, a little uninspired; in particular, the closing scene which is a gut-punch just didn't quite do it, I felt. Dinklage has a flat American accent while the others sound British, and that makes for some dissonance; why not just let Dinklage sound British too? The music is not your typical show tunes by any means, and I rather liked its deviation from the norm. It doesn't intrude into the story too much.

So yes, it could have been better, but still this is a great way to get some visual thrills and release some pent-up tears at one of literature's all-time great works.

I ended up seeing this only because my son was watching in the other room and I was drawn by the music; once I watched 30 sec, I was hooked.

It's all about the interplay between a hard-driving, perfectionist, even sadistic band leader and an ambitious young drummer trying to make his mark in the world of music. The actors in the two key roles are top notch; they bring out so many emotions as we oscillate from admiration to sympathy to repudiation to outright hatred. It's very emotional, very tense, and in the end one is not quite sure where we're left but it's a superb ride all the way. And the music: I'm not a jazz afficionado, but I loved it all. The soundtrack is well worth listening to on its own.

I'll start with the good. The Icelandic scenery is strikingly beautiful, ... um, I guess that's it.

The rest is an utter disaster. The screenplay is perhaps the worst of all, being completely derivative. The story is mainly that of Hamlet (and in case we don't get it, the main character is even named Hamlet). Some elements of the plot have been borrowed from The Last Kingdom. Much of the imagery comes from Lord of the Rings. The dialogue is stilted, phony, dull and predictable. The entire movie comes across as a series of cliches, pretty much every Viking stock scene is played for us in succession but with no point or purpose. You're never quite sure if this is meant to be a fantasy story or a realistic one, and while it's never convincing enough for realism, it's not mythical enough to be a saga. And the carnage... two-plus hours of unabated slaughter.

Spare yourself the agony, and don't waste your money. If it's Vikings your after, check out The Last Kingdom instead.