Atonement and the awards nominations, am I the only one who thought it sucked?

Question

I went to see this and I cant believe how many nominations its getting...
I hated this movie and so did everyone I went to see it with. Here's what I didnt like:
1-NO chemistry between Keira and James McAvoy, Mcavoy projects all the sexual heat of a turnip
2-terrible ending...didnt work , didnt like the jump, could have been done MUCH better (was dumb anyhow though)
3-Pacing of the movie was SLOOOOW esp that war montage-if he wanted to make a World War 2 movie, that's what he should have done.
4-Kiera plays the character the way she plays all characters, can we see something else coming from her than a sassy twist of her mouth?

Answer 1

I certainly didn't think it sucked, but I wasn't as impressed and swept up by it as I had expected to be. I did find the pacing to be a little slow, and I was surprised by how many other people who saw it didn't see the ending coming. But despite the clunky moments, I thought there was definitely some true greatness in there. The tracking shot across the beach was amazing, that should win a cinematography Oscar when the time comes. I also thought the scene in the movie theater, where James McAvoy was standing in front of the large screen showing the two lovers, was beautiful. But yeah, I wasn't impressed at all by the romance between the two leads, I thought it was underdeveloped and they let the audience fill in one two many of the blanks in what led to their romance. A good movie, yes....worthy of the insane accolades it's receiving, not so much.

Answer 2

In the New York Times last year, there were 690 movie reviews. That's almost two films a day. While no one reviewer saw and wrote about all of those films, the number alone tells you that there were a lot of films out there.



After a while, movie reviewers can have a hard time separating films. To make your film stand out, it has to be different in certain ways.



Critics often like period pieces, especially slow-moving period pieces. There aren't that many of them, so they tend to get points just for trying.



Critics have seen a lot of things that you and I haven't, just because they see so many films each year. What seems new to us may be old hat to critics. Beyond that, there is the fact that most critics look for different things (camera angles and the such) that you and I don't notice so much. Critics are often trained to notice what doesn't stand out so much for the general public. Critics see movies differently than you and I do, and people who make movies for a living also see things that we generally miss.



As for the casting, this relationship is supposed to be too shallow to survive the problems coming at them. Yes, it would be nice to have the big romantic scenes be hotter, but if they were, you'd wonder what happened to this couple.



If it makes you feel better, several reviews by the general public at movietickets.com and rottentomatoes.com are mixed, with several saying that the movie was boring. And I can certainly understand it. This is far from an action picture, and certainly isn't a comedy. And as a romance, it's different.

Answer 3

Wow, I don't feel the same passionate hate for any movies.



actually, I did like it - I don't think I was expecting much, although McAvoy was terrific in The Last King of Scotland, so I knew a little of his work and seen Keira several times.



Are you comparing to something specific - fast paced war scenes? that is why the slow was so irritating?



About 90% of the movie fans I know liked it or really liked it. Only a few (who thought Wedding Crashers was an Oscar winning movie) really didn't care for it.

Answer 4

Wow, cynicism! You realize the movie is based on a novel, right?? It's an adaptation, so he wasn't writing the ending and he wasn't making a WWII movie.



I thought the movie captured the essence of the book perfectly. The look of the film is beautiful and alluring; the time period is elegantly brought to life. James McAvoy is brilliant as Robbie and Saoirse Ronan steals the show in her portrayal as Briony.



You leave the theatre with the same feeling you have as you finish the book -- empty, sadness, longing. Briony's meager attempt to write Cecilia and Robbie into eternity is too little too late. She will pay for her actions through the loss of her beloved mind as she succomes to her illness. This will be her true atonement, and true-to-character, she doesn't even realize it.



I say, well done!!

Answer 5

I thought the movie was okay, but I have read the book and I believe the book was just magic. And that is just your opinion of the movie, I am sure many thought it was beautiful. So if you want to have a say who wins in these nominations then become part of the board who decides.