Full Movie Reviews
Rating of
2/4
More Focus Needed
Franz Patrick - wrote on 07/20/2008
I thought it started off really well because it instantly grabbed my attention. I don't know much about Bob Dylan so I was really interested about how the filmmakers would interpret his life, and maybe I could even be inspired to learn more about the actual person. Things started to go downhill when Cate Blanchett appeared on screen. No, it's not that she's bad in this film; in fact, I think she's one of the best aspects of it. It's just that the things that went along with her, such as the multiple storylines, weren't interesting enough to keep my attention. I wished that they told the story in a linear fashion instead of making cuts here and there because it was too distracting. Other than Cate Blanchett, I wanted to see more screen time from Ben Whishaw, Christian Bale, and Heath …
Rating of
4/4
A Multifaceted Gem
ourmanhero - wrote on 11/26/2007
A true visual mosaic, this inventive and unconventional biopic weaves in and out of the stories that make up both Bob Dylan's mind and life. Todd Haynes directed and co-wrote this ambitious project as a meditation on the peerless singer-songwriter's (to say he transcends this label is a gross understatement) influences and exploits as they worked their way into his poetry and into our mythology. The essence of Dylan (his name is never mentioned in the film) is molded through six inter-cutting portrayals, each focused on a particular aspect of his evolution. A young African-American train-hopper, played impressively by an enthusiastic Marcus Carl Franklin, is Dylan's formative years, the Dylan reaching out for Woodie Guthrie and anguishing over his developing voice. Christian Bale is a …
