Okay, as the girls are on holiday we decided to make TWO trips to the cinema this week and the choice was 'The Eagle', the film version of the novel 'The Eagle of the Ninth' by Rosemary Sutcliff. This film split the Rees family along the age fault-line.
Set in Britain of 140CE the story relates how the hero - Marcus Flavius Aquila - and his faithful slave - Esca - journey to the wilds of Scotland to retrieve the Eagle lost by the Ninth Legion that was commanded by Aquila's father.
As I said, the older and younger generations of the Rees household were split.
My opinion (supported by Nelli) was that it was a somewhat dour, over-long historical drama which teetered on the edge of being simultaneously boring and risible. I thought the lead actor - Channing Tatum - had all the charisma of a deckchair as he glowered and emoted through the movie's two hour length, while even the normally reliable Jamie Bell seemed unable to give his reluctant but loyal sidekick character any noticeable depth. Low points were Donald Sutherland lumbering his Roman senator with a mid-West accent and the 'Seal People' - the Scottish natives the hero has to interface with - having the appearance of MacMohicans daubed with B&Q's best undercoat emulsion. There were, of course, some good things: the cinematography was terrific and the portrayal of the squalor of 2nd Century Britain suitably ... squalid. But really this was an eminently forgettable film.
But ...
My daughters (16 and 18 years old) thought it pretty good entertainment. They enjoyed it! They also thought Mr Tatum was a good lead. Kit voted it a solid 7 out of 10!
So I guess if you're 25 or under it's a good movie, but if you're 25 or older, it ain't.
Rod: 4/10
Nelli: 4/10
Kit: 7/10
Ellie: is too cool to do this scoring shit but judged it 'good'.
Chronological criticism.
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