Apt Pupil

Rating:
Summary: too depressing
Review: All I have to say is that this film is way to depressing. You have to be happy people, this film is way too dark and evil. How can anybody like horror.

Rating:
Summary: "Inept Pupil"
Review: The trailer for "Apt Pupil" was better than the film. I actually fast-forwarded in certain parts because I was so bored with the slow pace, unconvincing plot, tired acting and direction. The real horror of this film was that it was even made. I couldn't wait to rewind this video and take it back. Terrible.

Rating:
Summary: WHAT A SPELL BOUNDING THRILL RIDE
Review: This movie is amazing, from the begining when a boy introduces himself to an old man who use to be one of Hitlers men, until the surprising and yet twisted middle where the climax is so intense. Until the very surprising ending. This movie will keep you glued to your seat the entire time.

Rating:
Summary: Disturbing? Probably to a 12 year old.
Review: This film was a dissapointment. The acting and cinematography were fine and all( Sir Ian McKellen, who potrayed a wizened Nazi criminal, did so beautifully ), but as far as the story goes, it was pretty weak. Maybe I had higher expectations, since having read Apt Pupil in Kings' collection, "Four Seasons", which by far was a more compelling study of one boys morbid curiosity turning into a repulsive obsession and finally into a sick and murderous lifestyle. In the movie, there is no real suspense nor is there anything actually "disturbing" about it ( yes, there were the boy's dreams and images, but they were so few & fleeting that there impact was, more or less, not felt ). Even if I didn't know about the short story, the film itself is bland. Admittedly, it starts off strong, though it soon loses its momentum as it becomes pointless meandering of a kid who tries to hide his relationship with the old man. Those who think that this movie is "unsettling" or "shocking" would be foaming in the mouth after reading Kings novella. A rental, maybe; but a purchase? A definite NO.

Rating:
Summary: Impressive acting, suspenseful & thrilling plot
Review: What happens when you put together Sir Ian McKellen, Brad Renfro, a nazi soldier and an obsessive boy? A five star movie. Every scene keeps you waiting and thinking, 'What's gonna happen next?' Brad Renfro gives an amazingly talented and realistic performance while Sir Ian McKellen is fully in german soldier character. Casted well, plot is extremely suspenseful, and you never know who your neighbors are......

Rating:
Summary: Don't bother
Review: i like suspense and examination of the evil in the human mind as much as the next person. However i felt that this movie fell far bellow what it aimed for. The movie completely lacked subtlety and was not as intense as i had expected. It possesed niether the the subtle phsycological horror nor the jump in your face and scare you horror. Please do yourself a favor and do not buy this junk

Rating:
Summary: Drawn-out but almost well-done
Review: "Apt Pupil" takes what could have been a spellbinding plot (a sinisterly curious teen tracks down an old soldier from Germany and blackmails him into telling him the atrocities of the holocaust in morbid detail) and makes it into nothing special. The events could be shocking under different direction, but instead get lost in a restrained attempt to make it all seem life-like. The acting, however, is superb. Brad Renfro portrays the right amounts of morbid curiousity and innocence. Ian McKellan (as usual) is right on the money. But their performances were not enough to save the movie.

Rating:
Summary: Definately NOT the story...
Review: I know people tell me constantly I'm wrong, but I'm a firm believer that if you plan on making a movie based on a book, you should stay close to the book. This movie, even on it's own, still didn't give me chills, much less when compared to the book. I guess I expected a LOT more from the director of a classic like The Usual Suspects. This movie was 2 hours I'll never get back, and for that I'm saddened.

Rating:
Summary: Terribly disappointing; this movie is a sleeper.
Review: I dosed off several times while watching the movie. Even the parts I saw made me drowsy. The movie wasn't moving enough to keep my interest. Throughout the film, I kept expecting something exciting or at least interesting to happen, to no avail. One of the worst movies that I've seen.

Rating:
Summary: New, Exciting, Riveting, Keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Review: I, being a Brad Renfro fan (obsessor), was overly-impressed by this wonderful movie. Also, being a Stephan King fanatic, I thought the story line was great, inventive, and kept me watching. I recommend this and EVERY brad Renfro movie, or Any Stephan King novel/novella, to ALL!