MOVIE REVIEW : Dances with Wolves

DANCES WITH WOLVES

Directed by Kevin Costner
Starring Kevin Costner and Graham Greene


PLOT

Lt. John Dunbar, exiled to a remote western Civil War outpost, befriends wolves and Indians, making him an intolerable aberration in the military.

WHAT I THOUGHT

Whilst I was ill last week, I finally got a chance to sit down and watch a DVD that I had wanted to for ages. My Mum and Dad had bought the DVD of "Dances with Wolves" saying how great it was. I wasn't sure what to think... I'd heard of it, but didn't have a clue what to think. I wanted to see it though. Problem is that we had the extended edition which is four hours long.

It was a good four hours though.

Set in the Civil War, it follows a character as he goes in search of himself. I don't really want to give too much away, but it is a film about self discovery, and it is fantastically made.

I found myself swept away in this world that the character was exploring. It's extremely clever at its portrayal's of people. At first I hated the Indians, but by the end of the film... I was actually ashamed of being white! No film has made me feel that way before!

The cinematography is top notch, along with the epic and sweeping score. It was made on a budget of only $15 million, which is amazing as it looks like it cost so much more. There is a scene where they are all hunting buffalo, no CG is used at all... but it's one of the most exciting and thrilling action scenes I've ever watched.

If there was one fault with the film... it is that it was slightly too long. It's epic, and deserves to be this long... but it did sag a little in the middle. This may be that the first viewing I had of it was the extended edition though! It would be interesting to see the theatrical version.

Don't let the running time put you off though. You should see this film. It is fantastic, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

BEST MOMENT

Hard to say... probably the buffalo hunt though!

MY RATING
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