The Patriot (2000)

In Two Minutes:

criteria	guru mumu	guru dudu
initial expectations	(3) I wasn't jumping up and down to see The Patriot. Why? Well, it's 2 and a half hours long, for one. And it's a war epic. Not exactly an experience that promised a happy-happy-joy-joy feeling. But being the curious cat that I am (and not wanting to be left out when everybody starts talking about this movie), off I went to see Mel Gibson play a war hero.	(4) Another blockbuster epic starring an A-list star, Mel Gibson, made me think this was going to be a big one. But the length had me scared... I was thinking I was going to have to sit for nearly 3 whole hours?!?
pace	(4) From start to finish, the movie captured my attention and made me think ('hurt after a while..hehehe). The sequence of events flowed nicely. I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. It had everything: drama, suspense, action, and even a bit of comedy. Talk about a smorgasbord! I believe I even gasped, oohed and aahed aloud a few times. And believe it or not, I forgot that I was sitting on my butt for almost 3 hours straight. Yup, the pace was that good.	(5) I have to admit...I looked at my watch. But only because I didn't want the movie to end! I was hoping it was only at its middle when actually it was near its end when I looked. Good tempo, always moving, with the right amount of small breathers in between.
plot/story	(4) Wanna hear an oxymoron? The Patriot humanizes war. It depicts the hearts and souls of the cold-blooded killers we view war fighters to be. Yup, these men take arms and kill so much, they make Rambo look like a wuss, but they're also dads, brothers, husbands…some of them just kids. And chances are, they really don't want to fight. But someone's gotta do it! So they do. This plot has made me look at war differently. It's not just about weapons and blood and death. It's also about family, love of country, and honour. Sniff-sniff.	(4) This movie had me at hello; from the very beginning, it engaged all my emotions: anger, rage, love, sadness, happiness, and more. Never mind the historical inaccuracies. I'm not a history prof... are you? It didn't bother me. Take this movie for what it is, an entertaining adventure epic based on revenge, greatness, and the fight for one's beliefs and freedom, and you have one hell of a story that will captivate you from beginning to end.
cast/acting	(5) The characters' portrayals were excellent! The casting director of this film really knew how to pick the diamonds in the rough. Everyone did his part in making the film a must-see. From Mel Gibson the hero to Susan, Gibson's youngest kid, the acting was great. They were so great that I shed a few tears. There was a lot of emotion expressed in this film and it really makes you admit that you're a softie inside. Sorry, men.	(5) Great care must have been taken to cast all these fine actors. Mel Gibson stole the show with his stellar performance as the lead, filling me with the very vengeance that his character felt. Heath Ledger had me patriotic with his character's devoutness to his beliefs and wish for freedom. And lil Susan, Mel Gibson's character's youngest daughter, had me teary-eyed.
cinematography	(5) Quite remarkable. Battle shots were awesome. The sequence from shot to shot was so fluid, as if your eyes were doing the filming themselves. Zoom-ins and pan-outs captured the mood and emotion of each scene very effectively; it really felt like I was right there, beside the characters, living the war. Silhouettes, shadows, and lighting were also used very intelligently to create that perfect effect in every scene. Colours were very vivid, as though they wanted the images on screen to be forever embedded in your mind. And the costume design was great as well, giving you a real feel for that time and place.	(5) Breathless. Picturesque. The cinematography had me living right alongside the characters, sometimes a little too closely (ie. the gruesome war scenes, and especially the cannonball moments). It seemed as if every detail was carefully thought out, from the camera angles, to the lighting, to the quasi-aerial views of the battle fields. Absolutely amazing.
good stuff	(4) If you like a movie to have a little bit of everything, welcome to a buffet, Hollywood-style. Like I said, this movie had action, adventure, drama, suspense, even comedy. Some scenes were way graphic, but that only added to the movie's authenticity. And the impeccable attention to detail! It's as though the filmmakers made this film, wrapped it nicely, and decorated it with a bow…just for you. Watching this film and witnessing the care and preparation that went into it is flattering. Seriously.	(5) Low on the sex scale, but high on everything else. The bloody battles took the cake. I writhed in my seat as I imagined what it would be like in the front lines of the army where you would only be able to fire off one shot before you would have to do a reload that took 5 seconds too many. During reload, you would most likely get shot at and die. Wars of attrition can clearly be seen as either side's front line would give way to a new front line after each shot. It was unreal, and reminded me that war is useless.
overall	(4) Well worth full price! And better than expected!	(5) Must see!!! Go now!!! Perhaps buy the video or DVD when it comes out! Well worth the full price, and better than Perfect Storm which opened the same weekend. And it even beat out my initial expectations.
criteria	guru mumu	guru dudu