Rating: 
Summary: very disapointing movie
Review: Watched this movie with a great expectation, but thought that it was very boring and lacked any sense. Still didnt have any idea what the heck was happening.
Rating:
Summary: Sad to be illiterate
Review: I've never seen so many reviews telling me I'm dumb and illiterate for not liking a movie. I never realized literacy was so integral to watching film. I had been under the impression that it was more important in reading the book the film was based on (which I have, incidentally).So, let me break it down simply, being illiterate and all: Movie bad. Book good. Read book. Burn movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Typical Pseudo-Intellectual Drivel
Review: I find it so hilarious, when people try to explain away film detractors by claiming that they are unintelligent. How can anyone try to fit the complexities of a book into a 1-4 hour film? it is impossible. But if these "intelligent" reviewers were as deep as they think they are, they would be reviewing books, as films are an inherently non-cerebral medium (other than visual artistry). Not that this type of film can't be complex, such as Clockwork Orange (which is actually entertaining as well). What else do you expect from Polanski, a known child rapist who tries to redeem himself through making pseudo intellectual films. Are we all supposed to be left over Tarot Card reading hippies from the 70's, which is obviously necessary to undrstand most of the symbolism of the film? Anyhow, great cast, great cinematography, and a great script for the first 2/3rd's of the film. However, I found myself fast forwarding through the last 1/3rd (how much do we need to see Depp walking and driving before we begin to fall asleep?). I felt cheated out of 2 hours of my life.
Rating: 
Summary: I didn't fall asleep during this one...
Review: waitin' on part II, especially if the green-eyed babe is in it. I thought this was a real good movie, and I'm hard to please these days.
Rating:
Summary: UNSATISFYING
Review: so many times i felt sure that a story was about to develop and so many times i was wrong... when the credits rolled i sat in shock and then turned to my left and saw my friend wearing the same look on his face... i call it the "was that it?" face... im sure most of you are farmiliar with that expression. maybe the film was advertised incorrectly, maybe my hopes were to high (silly me i wanted to be entertained) jonny depp whos diverse roll choices from edward scissor hands to gilbert grape has shown a range of acting that has become all but extinct but he never quite jells with this character ... a character that is so hollow that even HE couldnt save it... in fact no character in the story is very stimulating... even the flying mystery woman on the motorcycle hardly raises an eyebrow... this is a film of missed oppurtunities. several times it appears to go in an interesting direction but twists right back to the mundane... the conclusion is more of the same - somewhat of a buildup but another disapointment as fails to deliver yet again..... feel free to skip it
Rating:
Summary: You may have to be over 30 to enjoy this. . . .
Review: only because the director, Roman Polanski, is an old-fashioned craftsman who knows how to properly build a narrative, create atmosphere, shock you with an unexpected visual, all the while studiously avoiding cliches . . . and all without some big stupid explosion billowing in slo-mo while some jerk runs toward the camera manfully (again in slo-mo). Withholding information from the audience, then revealing it at the unexpected moments, layering the characters -- in short, professional storytelling in the old murder-mystery vein -- are lost arts which one typically has to go back to the early 1980's to find, an era before computer technology and overbearing camerawork made such painstaking craft no longer necessary to the attention-span-deprived American audience. *The Ninth Gate* is all in the details, baby. If such nuances don't impress you, or seem boring to you, better look elsewhere. *End of Days* would be a fine start. No nuances there to "bog" you down. Having said all that, I must say that this movie lacked a couple of key ingredients that would have made it an emotionally satisfying picture. Number one, having the Depp character be SUCH a moral blank, especially as the film progresses, only serves to deflate the tension -- in other words, nothing seems to be at stake. Depp's soul is already lost; so is going to Hell any sort of change? Also, Polanski played his hand a bit early with the Mystery Blonde Girl. Once she starts floating in the air and kicking people around a la The Incredible Hulk, it's no secret that she's a minion of Satan (or even Satan Himself -- it scarcely matters). MORE mystery, not LESS, was needed where she's concerned. And the movie is really too long -- especially when you consider the puzzling finish, which is really a confusing muddle . . . unnecessarily confusing, I may add. All in all, though, one of the more satisfying movies of last year, especially for those who enjoy the craft of filmmaking itself. Those who require kickboxing matches once per half-hour and actors floating through the soupy-looking air of CGI "magic", need not apply. . . .
Rating: 
Summary: Best of the recent Satanic myth films
Review: Roman Polanski has put some very cool images on film with this one. THE NINTH GATE is not his best film but certainly it is much better than recent films on the subject of 'Satan'. I'm a horror-film buff and found 'Stigmata' to be tedious and convoluted for the most part. 'End of Days' starred Arnold and since he is one of my favorite stars I enjoyed it but it was a big, dumb movie *not that there's anything wrong with that* but 'THE NINTH GATE' is a thinking-man/woman's horror film. Disturbing images abound and great set-pieces like the various murders are well done. This film is a real "journey." It also captures a sort of 'Maltese-Falcon~ish' noir at times. The finale is interesting and makes one want to re-watch it several times with and without the commentary on the well-done DVD. The animated menus rock! Also, the score is very well done. It's one of those musical scores that you would want to purchase in addition to the film (although there is an isolated score on the DVD!) this movie isn't for everyone though. If you've got an open mind and you are a Polanski fan then check it out. All otheres beware....you may not care for the 'NINTH GATE' that much.
Rating:
Summary: SHALLOW AS A TEENAGE GIRL, ROMAN
Review: I was very excited to finally get to see this film, as I had missed it's theatrical release. I have always considered Polanski of of the best directors around, but this movie is a big waste of the viewer's time. Well paced and clever camera work stand out only to be overshadowed by a ridiculous plot. The ending aside, a BIG let down. Depp never ceases to amaze me as he is always quite good. An underrated actor for sure. Frank Langella's performance however is ridiculous,when you DO see him on screen. A lot of his dialogue is presented "over the phone". A trick student filmmakers often use to save money. Perhaps Polanski didn't like him either. He should have lit himself on fire in the opening sequence instead, and spared us his worthless characature of a truly evil man. The classic "Rosebary's Baby" still holds up today, and even looks good on TV late at nite despite commercials! Buy that instead.
Rating:
Summary: Save Your Money
Review: Where did they go wrong? This movie had a decent cast, a pretty good premise, and some tried and true creative personalities behind it. I was wondering how Roman Polanski had directed the scenes in New York (as he is permanently ruled off from revisiting these shores due to his indiscretion with a minor a couple decades back). Now I learn through a review that the New York scenes were filmed in Europe (well that explains that!). It is sad to see how Polanski has slipped, if this film is any indication of his present-day creative ability. He historically has had an eye for a script and the energy needed to pull off an idiosincratically appealing interpretation of whatever text he has chosen to take on. This can be verified by recalling the major films he has directed: "Knife in the Water," "The Fearless Vampire Killers," "Macbeth"(his paean to his recently deceased wife, Sharon Tate) "Repulsion," "Chinatown," "Rosemary's Baby." Not a bad list by any stretch of the imagination. That he should be reduced to producing and directing such an unimaginative, trite, hackneyed (want any more synoyms?) piece of tripe as this is dissapointing and sad to one of his fans (of whom I still count myself). The plotline has been done beyond death in recent cinema. There is absolutely nothing original or fresh on display here. I kept searching for a quirk in character or plot that would justify my expectations, but sadly none was forthcoming. The only thing that truly amazed me was how much Frank Langella now resembles a slightly younger Gore Vidal. He seems to have somehow morphed quite successfully actually (due to some Satanic pact? Maybe Gore actually sold his soul to replace the younger Langella?). Emmanuel Sanger (Polanski's current wife) is an example of cinematic nepotism run rampant. She has got to be the most wooden, untalented actresses since Marion Davies, and was cast by Polanski for the same reasons as Hearst insisted on. Her most intense scenes involve the camera focusing in on her cosmetically altered eyes engaged in some sort of demonic stare, which ends up looking incredibly risible, more appropriate to Comedy Central than spine-tingling horror. The stare serves as a fairly appropriate meatphor for the film as a whole. There is not a moment of apprehension, much less true horror, about it. Nothing spooky, nothing chilling, nothing weird... just banal images of repetetive and unbelievable figments of a poor screenwriter's paltry imagination. I hope that this film doesn't signal the true eclipse of a creative and dynamic filmmaker. Other important directors had their share of clunkers. I hope this is just another example of a bump in the road to an otherwise significant career.
Rating:
Summary: Just about as shallow as a teenage girl, Roman...
Review: Polanski, probably one of the most talented directors of the 20th Century, draws you in to this Demonic tale with sheer brilliance. It's not until the end that you realize that the ride was hardly worth it. Kinda like riding a rollercoster only to realize that the cart detatches at the end. Depp is not nearly as evil as he can be, plus the characters that surround him, though intriguing, are downright as confusing to the viewer. It's not a secret that Mr. Polanski has made some great films, as Rosemary's Baby STILL looks good today even when it shows up on late nite TV. Also, the $100+ pricetag? Forget it. Buy "Rosemary" and go out for a dinner instead.
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