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The Postman

The Postman

List Price: $12.97
Your Price: $9.08
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Nap Time
Review: The Postman was one of the worse movies ever produed it had zero story zero plot the acting are terrible and I found myself wanting to turn off the DVD and break the disc. Defeninately one to stay away from END

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A good movie
Review: Despite the critics thumbs down on this movie it's still interesting and entertaining to watch this nearly 3 hour movie. END

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A magnificent, but underrated, performance by Costner.
Review: The Postman is a story of an educated man in the post-nuclear world. Decicing to observe life rather than live it, the man keeps his distance at all costs. Almost. When himself and his mule, Bill, are forced either to earn food or starve, they go into a nearby town. The town is ravaged by a group of bandits and he is taken by them, to become oe of them. His hatred grows untill he escapes. He takes a postal uniform from a corpse to keep warm, and finds himself a founder of a orginazation that gives prople hope. This is the story of a mans rise from nothing to the savior of the people from the opression of tyranny. END

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Call in the editors, quick!
Review: As a huge fan of David Brin, whose book "The Postman" served as the basis for this film, and the post-apocalyptic genre in general, I was looking forward to seeing this movie. My friends tried to warn me away from it, and after all the negative press I read, it was hard to keep an open mind.

The Postman isn't awful, but it is incredibly overlong. It seems to crawl about as fast as a bulldozer out of gas. Thankfully, the plot develops in that time, but The Postman lacks the sweeping, involving, intricate details that define an "epic" (and David Brin's books).

The problem is that Costner and the editors wanted to include as much material from the novel as possible, but instead of folding plots into each other, it only half-develops different lines, or totally leaves them untouched. The Holnists, for example, while only playing a major role in the last quarter of the book, become a variety of "devolved" enemies and serve as the "main bad guys" in the film.

David Brin's works are extremely complex and intelligent, which Costner and company no doubt recognized, but The Postman was partially dumbed-down for audiences more interested in brainless action-schlock like Mission Impossible 2 or the watered-down "epic" Gladiator. The dumbing-down occured in the wrong places; the editors no doubt assumed that audiences would have the attention span to sit through a three-hour movie but still wanted something substance-less - it just doesn't work. By trying to satisfy the fans who wanted the complexity and sincerity of the book, and attempting to appeal to the wider popcorn-munching audience, Costner strove for a middle ground, the same route he found with dazzling success in Dances With Wolves, and ended up falling off the fence.

The Postman is worth watching for the post-apocalyptic sets and ideas, especially if you are interested in the genre, but I can't imagine this film as much more than an artifact, appealing to the few of us who enjoy the post-nuclear, post-apocalyptic films like The Postman.

DVD dirt -

The transfer is OK - not great, but not terrible. You can tell it was done in the early days of dual layer, because there is a slight hiccup at every chapter change. Some sections of the film seem quite dirty, with obvious splotches and scratches. The sound transfer isn't bad, but the voices and the effects aren't mixed properly; viewers with a center-channel system can simply turn that speaker up, but those without will experience very quiet dialogue with very loud music and ear-blistering explosions that seem almost out of place.

The only extra worth talking about is the "Postman's CGI Route" featurette, which talks mostly about splicing green-screened actors onto computer-touched-up shots of landscapes, or replacing some background scenery with matte images or still frames. Nothing terribly special, and the featurette only lasts for 15 minutes or so.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A beautiful, inspiring American epic
Review: I've just seen "The Postman" for 6th or 7th time, last night on cable, and it keeps getting better every time! Forget the three-hour 'price-tag', this is an intelligent and engrossing film. As usual, I don't understand all the negative reviews from movie critics... where do they get their credentials, anyway? With its combination of action, drama, romance, patriotism, and even comedy, "The Postman" rises far above most of the meaningless tripe released by the film industry these days. What must a movie have to receive critical acclaim? What this one doesn't have is the constant barrage of filth, so many screenplays seem to rely on to cover up their weak plots. There is violence and brief nudity, but neither is too graphic, and it only serves to strengthen the story.

Hats off to Mr. Costner for taking a chance and giving us such a wonderful film.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Love this movie
Review: Simply put, It should have won an oscar. Once you get past the slow start (which is necessary to explain the rest of the movie) it becomes so moving. Reminds me of the Pony Express...and our American determination to be free. Even more moving since 911.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Makes no sense
Review: This movie made no sense to me. It seems like Costner tried to make a modern western and failed miserably. There are very few redeeming factors in this movie. I understand the concept behind it, but thought it was developed poorly. You can defenitly skip this movie and not worry too much about it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Wow
Review: I've always seen postmen as the unsung heroes of middle America. Finaly, a movie that pays the kinda respect that postal employees deserve. Costner does another wonderful performance in this future classic. Almost as good as waterworld!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A modern Omega? or has someone gone Postal!
Review: When one of my friends discovered this film in the 5$ Wal-Mart bin I presumed it probably deserved to be there. However, I was mistaken, as this is actually a nice film.

The plot is based on the same post-apocalypse films that many are based around; however, this film is a bit different. For example, Will Patton (now remembered for Remember the Titans) plays a ruthless leader of a "feudal" style tribe or gang if you will. He takes money from the poor; in return he promises not to hurt them, too badly at least.

However, as most ruthless groups do, this one had some dissenters, mainly Kevin Costner's character. Initially starting as a forced member of the gang, Costner's character assumes a role as a postman and begins to give new life to the terrorized communities. The question is though will he succeed?

Now, this film is clearly long enough (runtime just under 3 hours) to be filled with all kinds of excitement, and it is. Now, there are not any complicated subplots really, but the development of the story takes some time. I do not know what really touches one about this film though. Maybe it is the theme of dogged determination, hope in hard times, or just the archetypal hero, a.k.a. the Postman.

Either way, I am sure that most will enjoy this film, if you can just squeak through the long parts. Just remember, this movie is basic, with it's character we love to hate and then the other that we love to love, but it's that simplicity that draws and traps attentions with, deservedly.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good solid Post Apocolyptic movie in a Flooded Genre
Review: As with most of my fellow amazonians I cannot figure out why this movie was knocked so bad. It is a remarkable story of how one man gave people hope, freedom, and the chance for a better life in what was a very dismill and nearly decimated country. The only reason I give this movie 4 instead of 5 stars is that the movie fails to deliver on one very important matter and that is in the movie it fails to explain exactly what happened to the U.S. and the rest of the world for that matter to put it in the state that it is and also fails to give a proper backround about the holnist clan. come on kevin you should know better than that. Its basic movie 101 never forget to explain the history. I was suprised to see one particualr scene cut short which is at the end when the leader of the holnist clan is defeated only his second in command lays down his gun where the vhs version shows everyone doing it. DVD's typically have more content, but they cut that one scene which doesn't make any sense. But all in all I would have to say the message makes the movie and that is HOPE! "Hope is a good thing maybe the best of things and no good thing ever dies" (Tim Robbins, Shawshank Redemption)


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