Reviews

When I wasn't quite six years old, I was taken to see this movie in the theaters. I vaguely remember being intrigued with the bell ringer Quasimodo, the fast-jabbing gargoyles, and the dancing gypsy Esmeralda.

I watched it again when I was about ten then totally forgot about this magnificent film. I saw it again just recently and at nearly 17, I appreciate this film much more than I did so long ago.

The film describes the journey of Quasimodo, the deformed bellringer of Notre Dame who struggles to find acceptance and join the outside world, but is ruled by the tight fist of the cruel Judge Claude Frollo.

The film's beginning is enough to show this is no ordinary film. Before the Disney logo even fills the screen, the viewer can already hear the bells tolling, a prelude of suspense. The dark music begins and then we see Paris and hear Clopin's tale of the Gypsies and how Frollo chased after Quasimodo's mother and killed her on the steps of Notre Dame. The Archdeacon stops Frollo from killing the poor child and out of fear for his immortal soul, Frollo raises the child in Notre Dame to be the bell ringer. I still get chills down my spine from the conclusion of the opening sequence when we finally see the title. Twenty years pass and the hunchback desires to leave his lonely tower, for his only companions are the three friendly gargoyles. Frollo will not allow him to leave, but Quasimodo sneaks out to the festival and befriends Esmeralda, the beautiful Gypsy girl. Phoebus is also entranced by her, but Frollo's lust is revealed. When the Gypsy saves the hunchback from the people's abuse, he decides to help her once she becomes a fugitive for doing so. Frollo tears Paris apart to find the object of his lust and Quasimodo is forced to realize Esmeralda has chosen Phoebus and not he, for love. The three are forced to a chilling climax with the deranged judge in this emotionally gripping film.

I have seen several bad reviews for this movie and quite frankly, I do not understand why. The plot is marvelous. Disney took Victor Hugo's work and made it an intense film for both children and adults. Of course, content had to be changed, but it was done so quite well. The ending was happy. But do not be fooled merely because this is a Dinsey film. There are plenty of aspects for the children: Jokes, silly songs in between and even the fun-loving gargoyles. However, there is much darkness as well. The music is flawless during the more emotional songs. The Latin chants add to the atmosphere of suspense and mystery. Disney managed to tackle very grave subjects: Lust, which Frollo felt for Esmeralda is mentioned in such a way that perhaps children of 6 or so like I was will not understand what he really wants from the Gypsy, but the older audience certainly will and it is quite chilling. The desire to be accepted is also among this heart-wrenching film: Quasimodo wants the world to accept him as does Esmeralda for the Gypsies are treated very badly. The battle scenes and especially the climax at the end are not truly that violent, but with the chanting and great music, as well as emotional pulls, it is quite suspenseful. Each character is unique: Quasimodo is a different kind of hero than in most Disney movies: We truly get to see his beauty on the inside when he selflessly helps Esmeralda and the others. Phoebus is not so evil as he is in the novel: Instead he is a heroic, selfless man who will not harm the innocent and truly loves Esmeralda. Esmerelda is the not so ordinary heroine as she fights for justice for her people and helps out others. Frollo is perhaps the scariest Disney villain of all and his evil has no limits.

The music: Amazing. The Plot: Magnificent. The characters: Unique.

Not to mention the amazing graphics. Notre Dame shines and will perhaps even get your jaw to drop.

People get angry because this does not follow the book. But this movie has served its true purpose: It provides good lessons for children, as well as entertaining distraction and best of all for those of us who are older, it provides a chilling plot underneath it all and is true entertainment.

If you are not too closed-minded and love suspense, I strongly recommend this film. If there are any bad things about this movie, it's only that it's too short being one hour and a half!

The end is especially touching when Quasimodo is embraced and accepted warmly by the people of Paris. Clopin sings ecstatically of the moral of the story- Who is the monster and who is the man?- and we can see quite clearly that the monster is not Quasimodo, but Frollo. Despite his appearance, Quasimodo is the true man, a selfless hero.

The first time I watched this film, I was so excited to see it, hoping it would live up to its seemingly amazing plot.I just watched it again last night. I have to say, Elise Gatien really needs work in her acting. There are some points where she does a good job, like in the fortune cookie scene and when she's visiting Jesse in the hospital after he gets stabbed, but some parts, particularly the end when Reed comes for the climax, she was not impressive and her lines did 16-year-olds like myself no justice.(The script did kind of make teenagers seem very pushy/irritable)However, I found her dancing very impeccable and that is when her acting shone. You could see her emotion in her dancing- too bad it wasn't really in her acting. This was,however, her first film, so maybe over time she will improve since she's just starting off. Daphne Zuniga needed a bit of help at some points, but was mostly alright. Sebastian Spence portrayed the undaunted and obsessed Reed very well. Some scenes were very well done: in particular when he watched Erica dance and remembers his late wife. Spence was amazing. The movie did drag at points, and the conversations Zuniga has with her friend about men is really boring and makes women look pretty silly and frivolous. I also predicted basically everything that occurred, including how Reed used photo shop to make it looks like Zuniga's husband was cheating on her, etc. The main problem with the film was not Gatien, but the plot. For an obsessive stalker, Reed's character was not spanned out good enough. The ending could have been much more suspenseful and when Jesse got knifed it looked really silly, not even scary. There needed to be more suspense and connection between the stalker and his prey. For the acting that was done well, the music, and the dancing I give this movie a 6. Some people are giving it one star, but I did not find this film worthless, nor a waste of time. It had its positive aspects. If you like this kind of storyline, I recommend it as long as you can overlook predictability and a bit of poor acting.

This movie, although directed by Wes Craven, is actually very well done. Rachel McAdams shines as the terrified Lisa and Cillian Murphey is the perfect Jack (those eyes have the ability to chill you inside and out). The suspense is top-notch and the action is fun to see. Unfortunately, some aspects are very predictable. Like at the end, when Jack finally gets his hands on Lisa, it's very obvious that her Dad is going to come help because it showed him waking up. Also, the movie is not even an hour and a half long- too short!

Nevertheless, this movie is still a very entertaining experience. The very idea of being blackmailed on a plane with a terrifying assassin sitting next to you.. let's just say you will have shivers run up and down your spine, but the movie doesn't have enough gore to sicken you or anything. Overall, it was well done. I just wish I'd seen it in theaters.

I first saw this film,not even in its entirety when I was just 12, and didn't think much of it. When I was 15, I saw it again and it became my favorite movie of all time. I'm 16 now, and watch it at least once a month. I must have the film memorized by now, but it's purely that wonderful.

This version of Robin Hood features the good-hearted thief as a nobleman who has returned from the third crusade to find his father dead and the Sheriff of Nottingham after King Richard's throne while the king is away. The storyline is wonderful, suspenseful, and spellbinding. While now Kevin Costner is not looked upon with much regard, he played his part perfectly. Critics snub this movie because he doesn't have a British accent but honestly- who cares? It didn't take away from the movie and Costner's portrayal of Robin Hood was excellent. Morgan Freemen also did very well as the faithful sidekick and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio was the perfect Marian. The chemistry between her character and Costner's was very touching once romance began to surface. Alan Rickman played the role of the frightening, lustful, and evil Sheriff to a tee.Another critical note is the absence of Prince John, but honestly, I found it best that he was left out because in reality, John later got the British throne, so why insert him as the "bad guy" if he wins?

The sets and costume are very believable- you'll feel like you're truly in in 1194! I give this movie a ten. I recommend it 100%- if you don't nitpick and you love the story of Robin Hood go see it! The ending is absolutely lovely. In my humble opinion, this is the best version of Robin Hood and a truly amazing experience to see.

I read the book first, then had to go see the movie (which coincidentally came out right after) when I was fifteen. It was a very good movie,with wonderful acting and sets. The choreography was amazing I loved how they tried to be realistic in the world of geisha. The effort put into this film was 100%. Some of the actors did not speak English true, but they did well enough. Gong Li was amazing despite not speaking English and though Zhang Ziyi is still learning, she did a marvelous job. The music- oh the music is so beautiful it can bring tears to your eyes. The only thing which disappointed me was missing some things from the book. Hatsumomo did not set fire to the okiya in the book, so my friends and I were shocked when that occurred because it was so different from the book's reason for Hatsumomo's demise. I understand why it was done, though, because Hatsumomo simply snapped in the book and that would have taken too long to unveil. The writers had to turn a 400 page book into a slightly over two hour movie- and they did a good job of it. See this movie- I highly recommend it and the book. Take a step into the world of the geisha- the breathtaking scenery and the harsh realities. You will not regret it.

I first caught the end of this movie some time ago on a movie channel. I saw the sad ending, but of course I was completely lost, since I'd only seen the end. Just one week ago, it happened to be on from the beginning, but I was reluctant to watch because I truly dislike sad endings. I was supposed to go somewhere but lo and behold, the movie was intense, so amazing, I just could not leave my seat. From the beginning to the very end, this movie had me with my mouth open and even though I knew the end and do not cry much at movies- this made me truly weep. The acting was amazing, the storyline alluring, even the set and costumes beautiful. If you like martial arts and drama, I entirely recommend this film. There may be a few holes in the plot, but overall, it's just wonderful. The only thing I would change is the ending- I wish it had been a happy one. But still, the tragedy just made it an even more captivating movie. I give House of Flying Daggers a 9.