Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Ken Russell's faithful transposition of Peter Townshend's rock opera, which stems from THE WHO's 1969 titular 2 LP album. TOMMY, stars THE WHO's frontman Roger Daltrey as the incarnation of the adult hero, is Russell's coup de maître in regard to his visual abandon and ethos emancipation. The narrative is constituent of miscellaneous episodes recounting the checkered story of Tommy in a chronological order, each goes hand in hand with a song from the album. The tale starts in 1945, a romantic honeymoon of newly-weds Nora (Ann-Margaret) and Captain Walker (Powell), the parents of Tommy. But captain soon will be declared missing-in-action in the fizzling war (but materializing in a twist and a recurring motif). Tommy is born as a normal child, but a traumatic incident will render him blind, deaf and dumb, to the despair of Nora and his stepfather Frank (Reed, conspiratorially lubricious). After a series of antic snippets where name stars lend their cameos, from Eric Clapton's absurd Marilyn Monroe worshiped cult, to Tina Turner's fantastically operatic turn as the Acid Queen, who turns herself into a syringe-riddled machine trying to bring Tommy out of his catalepsy (the metaphor here is obviously two-fold, along with directer Russell's talisman, snakes). Before soon, Tommy is called upon by his mirror-self and finds his forte, the pinball machine, something would have become nearly obsolete four decades later, and defeats the pinball wizard (Elton John) to gain worldly fame (how ironic is that? A blind pinball genius!). A come-hither Jack Nicholson also timely crops up as a specialist, almost hijacks the film (and Nora as well) into a different route. Tommy's life orbit reaches another catharsis when he finally sloughs off all the physical barriers and starts to see, speak and feel the world around him, and becomes a self-proclaimed Messiah to indoctrinate spiritual purity in a world assailed by a shortfall of faith, but eventually (after a digression of an avid teenager follower Sally Thompson, played by Russell's own daughter Victoria), his noble calling reaches an anticlimactic drawback, after convening all his disciples to a Tommy's Holiday Camp, the mob proves to be too fickle to please, riot arises, parents murdered, premises combusted, a bereft Tommy escapes and finally fetches up at the place where his parents ignite their affection in the beginning of the movie.Tommy, his loftiness, his numen, is too good for the self-seeking, ungrateful, and insidious mankind, this is what Russell tries to hammer home to his stunned audience, executed with his trademark lavish, chromatically lurid modality, the resultant movie is a grand spectacle to knock dead fans and non-fans alike, plus Ann-Margaret delivers one of her best performances here, so deeply invested in a role conceptually much confined to the platitude of a distressed mother, she even goes doolally to express a tangibly affecting intensity within Russell's majestic close-ups and set pieces.

Ken Russell's "Tommy," of the same name as the album it was made from, is nothing less than brilliant if you like this kind of music and enjoy musicals.I first saw this back in the later-days of VHS and recorded it onto a cassette, along with "Woodstock," during the Roger Daltry hosted "RockStock Weekend" special in 2000 on the AMC channel.I thought, and, still think, this is a great movie/musical! I watch it at least once year to remind me of just how good it really is.This, like any movie, is one of mood...you must be in the right mood to enjoy it. Also, you have to like this kind of rock opera musical storytelling to even consider watching it. Many "Who" fans, including myself, might even consider this movie a departure from the music that one would hear at their concerts or on the radio...but, I still love it.The acting, singing, and, dancing performances are impeccable! Ann-Margret is as lively and beautiful as ever! Oliver Reed is as great and devious as ever! Jack Nicholson is as creepy and persuasive as ever! Tina Turner is just fabulous! Elton John does his cover of "Pinball Wizard" in a very memorable way! And, the newcomer to acting, Roger Daltry (singer of "The Who"), does an incredible portrayal of the 'deaf, dumb, and, blind kid' Tommy!However, I've found that many people don't share my enthusiasm about this epic musical. Most of my friends considered "The Who's" more serious 'movie' "Quadophenia" (1979) much better than this - to each his own.If you like "The Who," I'm fairly sure that you'll like both! :)

Though I grew up in the 1970's I was not raised on the music of "The Who" but "The Beatles" as I had a brother 6 years older then I.I had heard of "Tommy (boy)" as a musical on Broadway. I had no idea it had been a film made almost 20 years before. If I had seen this before a Broadway Musical was proposed I wouldn't have let them make it.29 years later I found this one early morning on The Antenna TV network. What a horrible film. Yes this was a rock opera. A bad one that should never have been made.It is very easy to figure out what is happening as no words are spoken at all until the "Lovely Legs" competition. However it with bad music you figure out two people are falling in love, you have to guess they marry or are married to begin with never really sure. This was about 15 minutes into movie. Then the character breaks into a song of course this is a rock opera after all.I say this movie is overall bad and not watchable unless you are a fan of "The Who". The music is grating and annoying.

It is not easy to adequately review this film properly. I am doing a series of presentations to the Society on Ken Russell and while I have the original sound track of Tommy on vinyl I had not seen the movie since its release. With some difficulty I sourced a DVD and watched it the other night and subsequently. This is my fifth attempt at writing a review that I am satisfied with.This could be an offensive movie to many despite the stellar cast and music. It really is quite deranged in parts and simply would not be made today in this form. Cousin Kevin, Uncle Ernie, the Acid Queen, and the Eric Clapton scene (Eyesight to the Blind, in which he reprises the Clapton is God theme from the 60s) are surely calculated to upset everyone, or challenge traditional viewpoints such as Catholicism, false rituals, cults etc. and that clearly is what KR intended doing, and he does it brilliantly. We even get a good measure of paedophilia, sadistic abuse and drug use thrown in as well.In the end I suppose it is also about redemption and the triumph of good over evil which is a marked counterpoint to KRs 'The Devils'. Is it just my opinion or is the close out shot a depiction of Christ on the Cross offering redemption and salvation to all, not just Tommy himself? This is an incredible juxtaposition to Clapton's 'God' scene earlier in the movie. Are also the lyrics to 'Listening to You' not a strong association between Tommy and Christ? I think they are. Listen closely or source the lyrics.This is a movie that deserves and needs serious reflection because it challenges convention, and if you don't like the music, don't go there. It is for me utterly audacious and original but I also appreciate it will be disturbing to many. Appreciate it or hate it for its originality but if it is viewed with an open mind the incredibly positive ending is a tonic for the soul.And of course, the music cannot be faulted. Did Elton John ever exceed his Pinball Wizard role? I think not. I also think Roger Daltrey (Tommy) singing 'I am Free' and "Listening to You' are incredibly uplifting and spiritual. And are Ann-Margaret and Roger Daltrey not the most beautiful creatures on the planet? The 'Healed' scene in the ocean is just gorgeous, as is the strong message about materialism. If Tommy is Christ reborn, is Nora his mother Mary? You can go on and on analysing this movie but the easiest thing is to just go along for the ride.