Rating: 
Summary: Good-looking, but dull and trite
Review: I went to see this film with hardly any expectations, except that the film was an Academy Award winner, therefore there must be at least some merit to it. I quickly found out that the film's true merit lay in the cinematography. The story was fairly predictable and I found nothing to like in any of the characters. I soon grew bored with the movie, but unfortunately, it lasts for two hours and forty minutes. (I mean, Lawrence of Arabia--a movie The English Patient so desperately wants to be--lasts for four-plus hours, and comparitively, the time flew while I watched it.) Viewing this film in the theater caused me to coin a new term: English Patient Syndrome. The simple definition is the condition which occurs when, while watching a dull motion picture, one believes his/her watch's batteries are running low, because it couldn't have *only* been five minutes ago that he/she checked it.
Rating:
Summary: Yawn...
Review: This is bad on so many levels it's hard to know where to start. I think the most fundamental problem is that you don't feel any empathy to the main characters so you don't really care about what they're doing. This makes the movie seem like it's dragging on forever, whereas it's only 2 3/4 hours. (Ok, so it does drag on forever). I'm a lover of drama and am sick of the current movie trend of eye candy at the expense of plot, characterization, etc., but there are so many better movies out there that I wouldn't even rent this one unless you just need a way to waste 3 hours.
Rating: 
Summary: Special Features?
Review: When are they going to release a DVD of this film with the audio commentary and extra features? I love this film, but I will not buy it on DVD until a decient edition is released with the special features released a few years back on laserdisc (now unavailable).There were so many wonderful films released on Laserdisc with special features that haven't translated to DVD format...what's going on? does the studio want to sell the film or what? DVD is often though of as a replacement for laserdisc, but I have yet to see the same time, presentation and care go into a DVD release as the studios did with laserdisc...
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I have avoided this movie because I'm a bit squeamish about burns and other gore. I finally decided that, since it was one of THE movies of the 90's, I should kick off 2000 by taking a look. I expected a lot more than I got. I agree with some other reviewers that the chemistry between Fiennes and Scott Thomas is lacking, and if you don't have that, there's not much to the film. Their affair seems to come out of nowhere. She flirts with him, he snubs her, they're caught in a sandstorm, and voila! Nothing in their characters seemed to draw them together, and I never figured out what their affair was based on. I didn't buy it. For a nearly three-hour movie, the film is remarkably lacking in incident. I remember that there was some carping when Juliette Binoche won the best supporting actress Oscar (I believe the smart money was on Lauren Bacall that year), but to my mind she was the best part of the film. She was radiant. I (and my eighteen-year-old daughter, who watched the film with me) think her romance with Kip was the most believable relationship in the movie. All in all: if you want a gorgeous, albeit lengthy, travelogue, this might be for you. For drama and romance, forget it.
Rating: 
Summary: great but not earth moving.
Review: this is a movie that i very much enjoyed. i don't beleive that it is as complicated as some say. the story is pretty straight forward. but what drew me to the film was the characters. i found nearly all to be very captivating and interesting. i especially liked willem defoe who gave a excellent proforance along with fiennes. if there is something epic about it then it has to be the cinematography. it deserved the award. i am not sure if it deserved 9. my only real complaint is kirsten scott thomas whose character seemed thrown into the mix. i have watched it many times and still find things that i enjoy. for me i enjoy the desert scenes immensly and that holds my attention alot. the sound is excellent as is the picture. this dvd was lacking in the extras department which is a shame. it is a movie that will spark some debate, so watch it and decide for yourself.
Rating:
Summary: You either love this film or you hate it!
Review: You either love this film or you hate it, as seen from the accompanying reviews. And viewers will take opposite sides as clearly as the difference in Type A vs. Type B personalities (which may in fact be the difference between reviewers.) No, the lead character is not initially endearing and not entirely sympathetic. And he is not for anyone who needs a feel-good character in the lead role. Further, if you are a fidgety type who needs a rip-rouring story, this is not for you. BUT ... if you want to be touched at the root of your emotional psyche, if you long for true adventure of the heart and sole, if you have the patience to be fed a classic-genre adventure at a modest pace ... THIS FILM IS EPIC! Acting and directing are superb. The lead man has such peculiarly-staunch charisma and literary style; one is endeared to him even at one's own chagrin. Fiennes, Thomas, and Binoche exude talent, as do the majority of supporting actors. I would equate the magnitude of this film to Dances with Wolves, CasaBlanca, or Amadeus. Surely to the disbelief of other reviewers, I have watched this film several times and each time I draw a deeper, stronger affection for the story and its characters. As the film is so viewer-specific: I would describe myself as a nostalgist, a romantic, a realist, and a fixated student of human nature; not badly shaken by the occasional harshness of our world's reality.
Rating: 
Summary: Horribly boring! Over-rated! Too long ZzzzzzzzZZZZzzzzzz
Review: The English Patient was said to be one of the best movies ever. I see alot of people would disagree and many would agree but I thought that this movie was just horrible. It just went on and had NO POINT. There was no point. It was just soooo long. It was not captivating and the acting was good but not great. It was a typical -The main characters name- movie. He always, for some reason stars in movies having to do with EUROPEAN HISTORY(WORLD WAR 1 and 2) binded with a EUROPEAN STYLE LOVE AFFAIR, expressed musicaly with what I call THAT MUSIC THAT SCREAMS OUT *THIS MOVIE HAS TO WIN AN OSCAR*. That's my opinion. Thanks for reading.
Rating:
Summary: I felt like I was dying in a cave
Review: If you have the technology to play this thing backwards, go ahead and do it. It won't change your enjoyment (?) one bit. As for the photography, if that's your thing, get a subscription to National Geographic -- your money will be better spent. This movie was boring and almost painful to watch. I have no problem with the people who liked it, but I find it absolutely mirthful that they believe we naysayers lack the complexity to appreciate the "layers" of this story. Well, exc-u-u-u-u-se me! Look, you want to see a great movie about a great love story, try "Life is Beautiful."
Rating:
Summary: MESMERIZING
Review: From the opening credits, which combine images of dreamy sand dunes and the gliding plane with the seductive paint-brush strokes of images in the cave, you are transported to places exotic, both in locale and in the heart. The story could hardly be more compelling, and the performances are for the most part perfect, especially Juliette Binoche, who has a casual beauty and resilience that draws you in. Her every move fills you up with wonder. Kristin Scott Thomas is superb at playing tension beneath the surface: this character is full of passion and strength, all of which will be grievously tested. Ralph Fiennes does an expert job as the patient, yet I do wish there were a glimmer of warmth from him -- he is interesting, not heartbreaking, but this is easy to forgive when there are so many other rapturous elements around him. Minghella's direction is artfully accessible, and weaves a spell in and around the entire ensemble. There are moments of incredible beauty and sorrow. And the finale, which finds each and every loose thread compellingly tied up, is one of those rare great finales -- you replay it in your head forever after.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful but vapid
Review: I was VERY disappointed with this movie. There's no arguing that the Saharan cimematography was anything but excellent. My main complaint is that the primary romance (Fiennes' and Scott Thomas' characters) was not believable. Her character had no character! She's beautiful, but that's it. This couple's relationship is strictly lust. Plus it offends me greatly that once again Hollywood has glamorized adultery! The relationship between Hana (Juliette Binoche) and Kip (Naveen Andrews) was believable AND real. I really wanted to like this movie but I can't. I couldn't buy into the Fiennes - Scott Thomas relationship. Plus, I refuse to "root for" two adulterers.
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