Hi,
Saw Dorian Grey last night. The films stars Ben Barnes as Dorian Grey (Narnia 2), Colin Firth, Ben Chaplin, Rachel Hurd Wood (Peter Pan) and Rebecca Hall (Frost/Nixon). Directed by Oliver Parker (St Trinians 1 & 2).
A missed opportunity in my opinion. Overall it had some good ideas, which never evolved into a good film. It's not a bad film, the script is ok, the direction ok, the acting was good, Chaplin and Firth being the best, the supporting cast of women were ok as well. Barnes I wasn't sure, he was the right actor for the role with his looks and youth, but seemed a little wooden, maybe he nailed the innocent young man and his growth into a heartless monster but he didn't convince me.
The film wanted to push decedant issues but never really crossed the line, the quick editing took away most of the shock value in these scenes and left them a little weak. Also the confrontation at the end of the film felt a little flat.
Maybe this film needed to be an 18 and really gone for it.
Maybe an unrated DVD version might make a better watch.
(6/10 - Not bad)
Wasn't a great film but nor was it a bad film. It was tad over long given the book was really only a piece of prose. I agree they should have gone for an adult certificate and explored the seedier side in greater detail. There were also a few missed opportunities (what did Dorien do when he left London for all those years and why did people readily accept his youful looks given the passing years). Perfomances were ok but nothing special - 6/10
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