68 out of 68 people found the following review helpful:

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I'm not Wilde about Dorian

A Customer from London, 9th September, 2009

Dorian Gray, the novel, is as detailed an examination of the questions of 'sin' and 'innocence' as you'll find among the vast pile of Victorian tomes that wrestled with the issue. In it Oscar Wilde asked what a man might do if he had no need to fear the consequences of his actions and discovered a terrible answer. It is a genuinely chilling tale, all the more so because of the carefully nuanced way in which Wilde charts Dorian's decline, lingering long over his first step beyond the pale - the betrayal of the young actress Sibyl Vane - to ensure the reader understands the gravity of what he has done. Dorian's transformation is gradual but inevitable, as he is slowly seduced by his untouchable beauty and the power it gives him over others. That's the novel. The film in contrast seems to have been put together by the same team responsible for the 'Confessions of' series. The audience I watched it with spent much of their time laughing as writer and director found excuses to slip in more and more scenes of naked-breasted 'tarts' frolicking with the eponymous anti-hero in brothels whose gilded sets look to have been nicked from Baz Luhrman's 'Moulin Rouge'. From the crass way the film opens with a scene of murder, through the even crasser equation of Wilde's portrayal of 'spiritual fall' with 'kinky' sex of the kind Madonna used to try to titillate the press with in the 80s, up to the just plain dumb use of the CGIed-up portrait itself, this film manages to throw away the heart of a good novel and replace it with a bit of dim horror-lite for the teen-to-20s market. To quote the book itself, 'It is better to be beautiful than to be good. But ... it is better to be good than to be ugly'. Sadly, this film is neither beautiful, nor good.

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17 out of 17 people found the following review helpful:

Just don't compare the film to the book

A Customer from King's Lynn, 11th September, 2009

As usual those who have read the original book will be disappointed by the film. Oscar Wilde's text is compelling because it is never clear what Dorian has been doing that is so wicked. On the other hand the film delights in showing Dorian frolicking with as many half dressed women as possible. The second half of the film is completely different from the original source as well so avid fans will be disappointed. However if you take the actual film on it's own merit there are a number of good points. Ben Barnes perfectly shows the contrast between the early sweet natured Dorian and the masochistic later transformation whilst Colin Firth beautifully plays the cynical yet charming Lord Henry. The film's settings suit the plot and the picnic scene is adorably sweet. Yes, it isn't the great adaption it could have been but if you can distance yourself from the book then I believe you can still enjoy this twisted tale.

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14 out of 14 people found the following review helpful:

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No masterpiece

ClaireO from , 9th September, 2009

This isn't an awful film it's just not a very good one. Ben Barnes whilst looking the part can not convey the moral desent of Dorian with any real conviction or evidence of any inner turmoil. The film also lacks subtlety seeming to suggest a few poorly shot sex scenes are sufficent to drive a village idiot to a moral less killer. The film left me rather cold and I can't say that I cared about the outcome of any of the characters.

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12 out of 12 people found the following review helpful:

Very good, but if only Burton and Depp had got there first.....

A Customer from Norwich, 10th September, 2009

Very entertaining. Ben Barnes is actually a half good actor. Colin Firth's Harry is an ingeniously witty villian, and Firth should get stuck into some more baddie parts in the future. However, I still believe that Tim Burton and Johnny Depp could have done it better if Depp had been younger (his character in Sleepy Hollow would have been perfect) and combined with Burton's unbeatable gothic style, it would have been a near masterpiece.

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Enjoyable Viewing

A Customer from Nr. Newbury, 18th March, 2010

Basically an effective remake of the 1945 film The Picture of Dorian Gray. It was an enjoyable film to watch (much like the original)with little to fault it really apart from Dorian's realtionship with Sibyl Vane seemed to me a little too absent and brief (rather unfulfilling really) and in these modern times of CGI I felt the actual picture could have been better portrayed, as it was hardly better than the 1945 version which I also feel fell short. But all in all a enjoyable film to watch with good casting. Recommended. The Blu-ray transfer is sharp and effective, the sound is nothing special but to be honest the story doesn't demand big effects.

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Bore-ian Gray

A Customer from glasgow, 17th March, 2010

This film was sooo boring!! I saw a few trailers and posters and they give the impression that this is a dark action film but it was far from it. It's basically 90% talking and dragged out background plot and 10% action. I've read the book and I enjoyed it so I thought a live action adaptation would be brilliant but I was so disappointed. It focuses too much on the morality issues and fails to deliver the spectacle of Dorians mysterious Portrait. I wouldn't recommend this one.

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Promised so much

SJ007 from , 17th March, 2010

Well, I have read the book and loved it. I know films rarely match the book with only a few exceptions but I still expected more. On a plus note the acting was good and the setting and costumes were great. The film script a bit boring and it just ended up being quite flat. OK if there is nothing else to watch!

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Dorian Gray

A Customer from Bedfordshire, 16th March, 2010

I read this book many many years ago, and luckily the film lived up to my imagination. My imagination was never in 3D though so I watched the final scenes behind my hands and cushion! Dorian Gray was pleasing to the eye will look out for him again in other films. Colin Firth playing himself in yet another period drama. Watch the deleted scenes - shame some of these had to be cut as they added to the story background.

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