Dorian Gray
I'd like to present director Oliver Parker with a "compliment sandwich"...
This film is not as bad as I was expecting. In fact, it's quite watchable.
However, it's still a pretty lame adaptation of a great novel. Ben Barnes certainly looks the part in the title role, but gives one of the most wooden performances I've seen in years. The score is intrusive, with an over-reliance on dramatic cues to build tension. The film was clearly made on a tight budget and unfortunately this shows: many of the sets and computer-generated backdrops are unconvincing and there are several terrible jump cuts and continuity edits.
Back to the positives. Colin Firth is on fine form as Lord Henry Wotton and the scenes of Dorian Gray's debauched lifestyle are suitably shocking and are shot with style and flair
