Softwing Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

Phonearl Good start, but then it gets ruined

Salubfoto It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

PiraBit if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Trina Lovinglyfe Wilson I love this movie. I've seen it multiple times and each time it's bettter. All the actors did a fantastic job. A must see.

grantss Good adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic novel.The story of a young man, Nicholas Nickleby (played by Charlie Hunnam). His father dies, leaving him, his mother and sister to fend for themselves. They seek assistance from his father's brother, Ralph (played by Christopher Plummer), who helps them. However...A great tale of survival and resourcefulness and good vs evil. Also, how when good but weak people band together they can conquer any evil.Solid direction. Not overly ambitious, but works well. Does drift in parts though.Good performances from the main cast, generally - Charlie Hunnam, Christopher Plummer, Jamie Bell, Jim Broadbent, Romola Garai, Tom Courtenay, Anne Hathaway. Edward Fox is his usual irritating self, though in this case it is appropriate for the vile character he plays.

misctidsandbits If you have not seen the 1947 version with Derek Bond, Cedric Hardwicke, you would really give yourself a treat by doing so. It is an excellent version, vastly superior to this one. Virtually every actor and portrayal is fuller and fitter. The view and flow are entirely more pleasing. It is much better tied together. I needed the previously seen version to help tie this 2002 one together - it is so chopped. I eagerly sought out the book after seeing this some time ago. It is one I had not read, and very much desired to after viewing the earlier version. I am sure I would have given the book a skip had this been the version I had seen first. Thankfully, the 1947 version is still being shown by TCM and may be available on DVD. One needs a good version of any classic, and the 1947 Bond/Hardwicke one settles it for me with Nickleby. I agree with others who consider that it sets the standard. Unfortunately, it was not followed in this version, which is really quite wretched.

guy-bellinger Nearly everyone likes this film and I do too. But what amazed me the most is the prologue, one of the best I have ever seen (my favorite being the introducing sequence of 'Lord of War'). To do justice to this wonderful sequence I will adopt an unusual method: I will first provide the (shrewd) original text in bold type and have it followed by a description of the images that illustrate it in brackets:WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE LIGHT FIRST PIERCES THE DARK DAMPNESS IN WHICH WE HAVE WAITED? (A hand holding a newborn baby, well lit against a dark backdrop, raises it to the middle of the frame). WE ARE SLAPPED (The baby's buttocks get slapped) AND CUT LOOSE (the umbilical cord is cut).IF WE ARE LUCKY, SOMEONE IS THERE TO CATCH US AND PERSUADE US THAT WE ARE SAFE (Downward crane move to the ample foliage of lovely trees in the middle of the English countryside first, then to a happy couple sitting in the grass: the father lifts the baby at arm's length while the mother smiles. The crane move has now become lateral and spans the meadow).BUT ARE WE SAFE? WHAT HAPPENS IF, TOO EARLY, WE LOSE A PARENT? (A dead bird of prey can be seen lying in the green grass). THAT PARTY ON WHOM WE RELY FOR ONLY ... EVERYTHING! (The tracking shot goes on only to turn into another crane move - upward this time - climbing back up the foliage). WHY, WE ARE CUT LOOSE AGAIN AND WE WONDER, EVEN DREAD, WHOSE HANDS WILL CATCH US NOW (the camera passes a nest in which a mother bird is keeping watch over its dead fledgling. Fade to black).That is all. But Douglas McGrath has managed in very little time to synthesize all the halcyon days as well as all the insecurities of the green years. Now the narrative can start, for the director has put the spectator in the frame of mind appropriate to understand and identify with the main character. Nicholas Nickleby will never appear bland or one-dimensional as he could have had this prologue not existed. A little masterpiece both technically and stylistically speaking that deserves kudos.