Once again one of the Scott brothers proves adept at generating a substance-free movie full of pretty pictures. I’m a little surprised it’s Ridley rather than Tony, but they’ve both contributed their share to the catalog of boring spectacles. Gerard Depardieu turns in a bloated performance as the lead character suggested by the title. The story is superior to an elementary school lesson about Columbus in that it devotes time to his difficulties trying to get financing for his expedition, and the back half of the picture focuses on the rapid descent from the noble impulse to explore to the crass desire to exploit. Sadly, the production falls victim to many of the same faults that bedeviled Terrence Malick’s The New World. Mildly amusing
Media criticism. Pop culture snark. And movie reviews. Lots and lots of movie reviews.
No comments:
Post a Comment