Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

I find this movie absolutely fascinating on all levels: basic idea, story, acting, imagery, set design, colors, music. It all fits together so well and tells a fascinating, rather sad story of beings, their limits and the way they deal with it in a time period of great changes and discoveries. Set entirely on a beautiful Neo Gothic country estate and its grounds, the plot evolves like a dream. The main character looks amazingly like Abraham Lincoln (the story is set during that president's lifetime but presumably in England). He is a man of reason and science - and of no means. He arrives as a kept intellectual and falls for the beautiful daughter of his benefactor. The attraction is exclusively erotic (the movie can be credited for some explicit sex scenes which are for once not gratuitous but as necessary as they are believable) and rather unexpectedly he finds himself adopted into the family and a permanent resident of Dreamland. Always of an alert disposition he observes - and is in turn observed and manipulated. Dreamland finally turns out to be a nightmare, the true nature of things small and not so small are revealed. The Odyssey continues.

I loved this movie! i remember seeing the trailer for it on the movie "haunted" (also superb) and was deeply in love with it. Although the film and story is wonderful I felt the ending lacked more than most should. To me it was very easy to tell what would happen especially with the way Edgar acted towards William at the ball. Over protective much? Of course when it finally got to the end there they were in all their glory! I think the film made it too apparent that there was incest in the family but other than that fact I loved the film. It's sad to think though that most films just end leaving the audience with nothing. So much for a climax (no pun intended.)

I had to watch this film for a class about Mid-Victorian Britain...with my professors and my class...and I was shocked at the story; Not just how awful the acting was, but that the script was actually bought and given a green light for production. The costumes were stylized and the design was nominated for an Oscar...how that was possible, I don't even know. The only thing redeemable about the film is Kristen Scott Thomas. Mark Rylance and Patsy Kensit give two of the worst performances I have ever seen in my entire life. Rylance's pitch and tone of voice never changes and Kensit was overly dramatic to the point of being comical. I would only see this movie if you want to laugh. But even at that, you're going to be wasting money...even energy by renting this movie. Stay away...

This story was worse than pathetic. This movie ranks up there with the most boring, meaningless, waste-of-time movies that I have seen. The only reason that I actually suffered and watched the entire movie was because it was categorized as a "mystery". Believing indeed, that it was a mystery, I figured there would eventually be some sort of revolution that would surprise me. This never happened. This movie is far from being mysterious, as it is extremely simple, plain, dull, boring, uneventful, and flat out the biggest waste of 2 hours that one could endure. The only people that I could possibly recommend this movie to is those that enjoy incest, which is no one that I am associated with. I only wish that I had taken the advice of so many here. 1 out of 10