Genres

Visitors Review

Hispano feliz 2012-05-25 14:44:42

Excelent

Excelent movie. I like the story. I recommend all the families to go to see it. We don't have this kind of movies anymore unfortunatelly, I hope directors can put attention to the demand for good movies like this.

jlm-6 2012-05-24 23:54:06

Great title... Bland movie

I had reason to spend several hours with and paying close attention tothe views of the filmmaker, just before the film premiered in Spain;and I found both him and his thinking, truly, fascinating! I found itequally fascinating that a man who had, once, moved audiences with TheKilling Fields and The Mission, should believe that this overly plain,almost amateur feel-to-it film - which I had seen, the week before -could ever be expected to transmit to post-Avatar 3D audiences, farless caught up than Roland Joffé in the importance and purpose ofredemption in modern-day society.I, for one, agree that learning to forgive is essential and thatwithout it, we can never find our humanity. Also, I'm not saying thatthere's anything wrong with 'amateur': the word implies love andvocation, and I'm good with that. 'Overly plain', however, didall-too-frequently smack of 'low-budget, tinny dialogs' and 'shallowperformances' - with, to some extent, the exception of Derek Jacobi.I simply think that people turn to movie theaters for an experiencethey could never get from multimedia and home cinema; and movietheaters agree to deliver such an experience. And, though some of theaction scenes were not entirely uninteresting (and we're, honestly, notasking for Terminators and Jurassics), to make - for general release -an entertaining and viable movie about the value of 'redemption' wouldappear to be as commercially unlikely as would making a movie aboutgenerosity or about humility. Such 'virtues' will either seep throughthe plot and hit viewers - and, hopefully, stay with them long - afterthey have left the theater or they won't! Yet, to play such virtues soclose to the plot is - I feel - sadly counterproductive, from both astorytelling and a film-viewing point of view.Mr. Joffé is sure to have enjoyed the experience, engulfed - as he willhave been, throughout the film-making process - by this ubiquitouspurpose, impregnating so many of his thoughts and actions. It's a shamehe didn't give a little more importance to his side of this mutualselfishness pact we call 'film-going': that way, many thousands moremight have enjoyed the experience, too.

checridj 2012-05-17 22:24:04

An amazing movie

I have stayed away from Hollywood movies for the last few years due tothe very disappointing quality of what is being produced. This is anamazing movie. If you are looking for something different than theregular junk,something that deals with profound issues of life, anger,hate, forgiveness and love than this movie is for you. It will leave avery deep mark in your heart and will help you look into your life andidentify your own dragons. After many years of mediatic bashing of theCatholic Church and the Opus Dei organization, this movie reveals thetrue message of Christianity and the extremely challenging call toliving according the teaching of the Church. Josemaria, the founder ofOpus Dei is admirably portrayed in this movie which shows thedifficulty of choosing the right behavior.

Ana Brown 2012-05-17 17:29:15

A Movie for Atheists too

Just watched this movie with three other atheist friends. The movie mayhave Catholic topics, and yes the peculiarities of the Spanish civilwar but it is about anthropological universals present in humanexperience. It is appealing to all audiences. My friends described it apowerful and well done movie. I find it particularly appropriate as areflection applicable to our current political and social fights. Iwent to the theater with low expectations since the critics were givingreally bad reviews. I consider myself as having pretty high standardsfor movie quality, and frankly, I cannot make sense of the critics.Probably it is not a politically correct movie, so it is not surprisethat critics unable to give up political correctness offer many strawman arguments. Beautiful photography, plenty of leitmotifs andcross-references, good acting. As a Spaniard living in the US I wasglad to see a movie about the war that does not take sides.

t t 2012-05-17 06:44:02

LOVED the movie

I went to see this movie with high expectations and I wasn't disappointed. Charlie Cox was great. And the movie never dragged -- I'm happy with the directing.The visuals were consistently excellent. If I have to criticize anything, I'd say the movie is a bit weak in writing the Manolo character. But the writing picks up strong in the Escriva character, mainly because the character really existed and the events shown about his life really happened. I just wish the movie showed more about Escriva. While watching the movie, I felt like earth time stopped -- I felt like I was in eternal time, if that makes any sense.

va_eer 2012-05-16 12:56:29

This movie is mis-titled...

"There Be One Draggin' Movie" is more like it... I respect the tragedyof the Spanish Civil War and the hatred for Franco but pullllllease...get to the point... I don't want to feel EVERY bullet... the ones thatshould have been meant for me.... ugh!I liked that the film reflected the pain, confusion, and agony of warbut it's not the first time something has been made of the topic... themovie goes on and on and on switching between battles scenes,treachery, religious strength and doubt, love... thank God for no cheapsex scenes... maybe I just don't get it but the wringing of hands canonly be put up with for so long... and NOT for two hours.... aaaaaargh!

The White Queen 2012-05-06 00:08:19

i was humbled at how good the film was!

I went to this movie not because I wanted to, it was because my parents told me to. I was in the theater, with a negative mind, but came to enjoy the film very much. It was very good. The plot, the acting, the action, the message, was all good. I never thought I would like the movie this much. If you go to see it, I promise, you won't regret it. And this is coming froma teen who loves action films and Harry Potter.

tuckherinn 2012-05-05 15:48:02

Redemption, forgiveness, & love

A beautiful movie about life choices, regret, love, lost love, and thenthe redemptive value of forgiveness. A great movie to bring youngadults and teenagers to show them two people who have the same start inlife make choices and how those choices changes and moves the lives ofall those around them. I was surprised by the power of the message andthe beauty of the film. Acting was superb and my teenage boys and theirfriends that we took with us were deeply moved... as well as I. Afterthe movie, my 14 year old son admitted that he hoped if he died beforea natural death it could be as a martyr... he is reconsidering optionsof priesthood. Thank you for producing and making such a beautiful andtouching movie.

michelle 2012-05-02 06:08:40

Must see movie!

We loved this movie. A homerun! This film is not too widely shown in theaters but word of mouth is putting it out to many people.

treosgsears 2012-05-01 17:55:24

Movie left me thinking...

I saw a screening of the movie a few weeks ago... to date, it continuesto come back to me through out the day. It has left me thinking so muchabout my life, relationships, Love, my beliefs, my work, etc. There areso many layers to this movie... It's not a movie for the superficial orthose who just want to be entertained over popcorn and then move on totheir next thriller. It's a deep movie that engages the mind and heart,hopefully engaging the viewer to think of the morally pivotal momentsin life and the choices made. I think there is a little bit of a Manoloin each of our lives... something each one of us needs to come to ternswith. Hopefully, as with Manolo, there is a Josemaria in each of ourpaths. I highly recommend this movie! It's a movie you can't just seeonce!

grandcirque 2012-04-27 07:36:33

Beware! - Heavy propaganda movie

The whole film is centered on the figure of the founder of Opus Dei,Josemaría Escrivá. Escrivá, who was made ​​a saint by Pope John PaulII, in the film is a stereotyped figure, depicted without defects orexcesses, always merciful, sympathetic, forgiving, charitable, in aword, unbelievable: in reality Escrivá supported Franco and Pinochet,and Bishop Vladimir Felzmann affirmed that he heard Escrivá to sayindulgent sentences about Hitler. This is only a total propaganda moviefor Opus Dei, disguised as a drama. Certainly, the director is a greatprofessional, and the film in itself, I mean as a product, is welldone. But the uncritical script is so absolutely, heavily, blindlyhagiographic that at the end I was completely disgusted.

migrogi 2012-04-26 12:01:09

Don't waste your money and eyesight on this propaganda film.

Just a manipulation of history, again, by the Opus Dei. Don't forgetmany cabinet ministers in the Franco governments of the 60s weremembers of this "sect" and acknowledged ("enterado") the dictator'smany death sentences in those years. As for the film andreconciliation, the forget the epilogue: 40 years of forgiveness? Itseems that those years do not exist for the film-maker...For thedirector the war had no consequences, it is an "unfinished" film andtotally biased: why the Spanish left, especially the rural workingclasses were so against priests and church? No look at this backgroundof starvation for the poor and privileges for the church. In fact, manypriests participated in the rebeld side with their guns at the side...Ask my parents about"forgiveness" in Spain during those Opus years...As for JoseMari... I bet he would be laughing at it!

Tersault 2012-04-25 08:59:21

Boring and Slow meets Horrible and Lame

Sorry, I watched this movie without any prior knowledge or backgroundto Josemaria nor the Opus Dei. I have to admit I couldn't stayinterested in it. I found it boring, tedious, slow and just horrible. Ihad to register to save other people the excruciating experience ofwatching such a lame movie. Reading other reviews, I would have thoughtthat the movie would explore the darker side of humanity or some otherprofound concepts, but the movie failed, and just kept going on and on.Two hours of my life I can not take back. If you like slow, tedious andoverall epic failure at trying to make a movie with a deeper meaning,then watch this movie "there be dragons".

bgreen-49-608497 2012-04-25 02:00:53

Deeply moved, given a chance

It took a second viewing of this spiritual movie to be moved verydeeply by the content of this script. I was taken in on my firstviewing by the specialness of this Saint, but I didn't get the deeperimpact until I saw it a second time. This was Not a typical movie goingexperience that a superhero flick might provide, but well worth givingthis picture a chance to work on you. IMPACTFUL! What I really like isthe well portrayed documentation of our own lives' choices and howreadily we follow our baser instincts and how difficult it can be towork towards a deeper connection on our paths. This movie does not grabyou like the music in the Mission and its beautiful scenery, nor thestraightforwardness of Joffe's Killing Fields but nonetheless it doescertainly deliver on meaning and the supernatural. This is not apolitical commentary on the Spanish Civil War, or a love story movie,but a compelling deeply spiritual movie that has to work on theaudience at a deeper level.

Carl 2012-04-20 08:53:39

As good as The King's Speech

After seeing The King's Speech I told my wife it would win the Best Picture Oscar. Dragons is equally good. But movie reviewers in the socialist New York Times and similar newspapers in Boston, Washington DC, Los Angeles, and San Francisco gave Dragons only one star. American socialists cannot abide a movie telling the truth about the Spanish Civil War. Socialists don't want it to be known that the Spanish Civil War started after socialists started murdering tens of thousands of clergy and the bourgeoisie. Hollywood will shun Dragons like the Devil shuns incense. A pity, because Dragons plumbs the depths of human emotions. Many left my theater with tears in their eyes.

Arturo 2012-04-19 21:50:22

life is a battlefield

There be dragons is not a story about a certain movement. Nor is it a story of certain individuals. There be Dragons, is a story of all of us, and the things that happen with our lives in the absence of faith and reason. What event in history can best describe this, other than the Spanish Civil War-life is a battlefield. Explorers in the past often coin the phrase "there be dragons," in order to depict the unknown as dangerous. Hence figures of dragons are imprinted on navigational maps in order to describe uncharted waters.We all have uncharted waters and dragons to face. They are found in the 'truth' which we find difficult to accept--because the truth hurts. But once we learned to face it with courage, then the truth shall set us free.Our weakness becomes someones strength. and someones strength, becomes our weakness.This movie for sure will not change ones opinion in life, but it is a "must see" for all moviegoers.

H 2012-04-09 17:15:43

I was deeply moved, so I had to see it twice

"There Be Dragons" has all the right ingredients to make it an instant classic:- Set in Spain 1936-37, in the midst of a historic civil war between communists, socialists and anarchists backed by the Soviet Union and fascists backed by Germans. Incredible action scenes and the gripping dilemmas of a conflict that became internationalized and that attracted the likes of Ernest Hemingway, George Orwell and many others to its midst. - the characters are caught in the violence, love, hate, camaraderie and incredible events that challenge them personally to unimaginable extremes, testing their strength as individuals and posing life-changing hard choices.- they respond in unique ways, leading to unsuspected, highly contrasting ethics and outcomes.- The visuals, acting, music, effects and historical portrayal of life in Madrid, the little towns, the countryside are magnificent.- The unpredictable development of the story moves you at times to the verge of tears, admiration, grips you from start to finish and ultimately leaves you with a history lesson, beautiful views of Spain and a profound meaning on a few vital life values (I am not going to give them up).We went in a group of fifteen, with five adults and 10 teens ages 12 through 18, mixed between catholics and non-catholics. The theater was packed.Everybody liked it a lot and for different reasons. The teens saw many angles that we adults did not and vice-versa. We went for an ice cream afterwards and everybody was discussing all these various profound angles in the film. Everybody was moved and got some lasting value from the film.This film by the maker of "The Killing Fields" and "The Mission" is a must see. Just like in the other two, it will leave you some enduring, profound meaning for sure.The next day I went with yet another group of friends that invited me, and saw it again to savor it slowly, much like you do with a great wine.The reaction from my friends was similar: they were ecstatic.Surprisingly, I found myself discovering yet new deep meanings in the plot. And it is still sinking in, which moved me to write this review for your benefit.I can't wait to own it on DVD! Enjoy it.

LindaV 2012-04-09 05:44:17

Not as advertised

The trailer led me to believe this film was about war. Actually, it was about religion with a little war thrown in. Many Christians, especially Catholics, may appreciate this film for its historical value. Personally I found it preachy. All about goodness and turning the other cheek and believing in good despite reality. Two hours of that is more than enough.

c_girl in Fall 2012-04-08 07:36:06

There be Dragons

I didn't hear much of the film and thought it would be poorly made, but I was wrong. I loved this film, there are beyond words on discribing it. Saint Josamaria Ecriva is a true story and of it's past. There are no real dragons in here, only the spirital evil demons that get people into people. I really hope this film gets an Oscar or an Emmy because it deserves it. So many Catholic films get twisted and bashed in Hollywood, this one was not. I hope I will get it when it comes out on dvd.

Stephen 2012-04-07 14:39:41

Another Good un-hyped non-Hollywood movie

I am making it a rewarding habit lately looking for quality movies not being heavily promoted by Hollywood. This is not a fantasy film about the mythical creatures. Powerful movie on the nature of hate, choices and forgiveness taking place during the Spanish Civil War. Incredible group of actors and acting unknown in Hollywood gossip magazines.Want to avoid feeling ripped off, select critic ignored movies highly rated by viewers that play in only a few theaters.