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Title: A few brief thoughts...
Review: I don't have much to say here so I'm going to try something new. I'm going to use a single sentence to convey my thoughts on each facet of this film.The Script:A confused history lesson delves into campy soap operatic tones that snuff out the more interesting bits.The Direction:A total step backward from its grittier 1998 predecessor, Kapur tries to add too much gloss and loses his core along the way.The Acting:Clive Owen is a joke, Abbie Cornish can't act, Cate Blanchett is shocking bland and unfocused and Samantha Morton steals the whole show with a handful of scenes (she's amazing).The Technical:Some overblown visuals look cheesy and fake, but the costumes are divine and the texture of the set pieces are organic and splendid to look at.In the end I hope that they stop here. I loved the 1998 film, and Blanchett in it, but this was a disaster that failed on nearly every level, the Oscar winning costumes aside.
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