Atonement

This must be one of the worst movies ever. Not in the typical fashion of a weak Nicolas Cage effort or the train wreck of The Matrix 2 and 3. The problem with Atonement is that it makes you care and then rips your heart out with the emotional equivalent of a dull spoon.

Warning, I spoil as much as possible below.

Here's the basic premise of the movie from my point of view:

1. Boy and girl with significant back story and conflicting social status fall in love, all very touching.

2. Stupid boy and girl's stupid young sister together do stupid things to ruin everyone's life.

3. Everyone you care about dies.

First of all, if I want heart wrenching stories of loved ones lost, I can read the newspaper. This movie had not one shred of uplifting sentiment. Nothing achieved, nothing accomplished, nothing renewed. I might as well go watch pigs being slaughtered for all the emotional uplift.

More importantly, the movie's plot turns on a number of really dull points. The mixing up of letters by the boy is second rate stuff, and the truly appalling investigation, though inspired by the believably ruthless young sister, would never pass even in pre-war Britain. If a movie wants to treat it's audience to such punishment as this one does, it had better do it smartly.

As much as I complain though, I wouldn't do it if the movie weren't so good on many levels. The death of the leads is entirely believable, and the unwavering determination of the young sister to live in fantasy even to her old age is painfully understandable and deplorable. But really, without anything positive to say at all, what was the point of such great work?