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"Our lives are not our own... from womb to tomb, we are bound to others. Past and present. And by each crime, and every kindness, we birth our future."
This quote is the single most powerful quote I have ever heard and/or read. You can try to argue it's logic as much as you want, but you will never be able to disprove these words - they are fact. Moving on; this quote truly captures what this movie is about. "Everything is connected" is the films tagline, and this particular tagline does not lie. With stories spanning the course of centuries, it's hard to believe that it's even possible to make a connection between all of the stories, yet the film manages to do so. With every new viewing of this film, you will discover more and more connections between stories. And multiple viewings are more-than-likely necessary, with all of the information hitting you at once, it's almost impossible to comprehend the entire film in one viewing.
There are many more themes than what I mentioned above, as I stated that was simply the most prominent theme. I will not go into depth on any of these themes, I will simply let you discover them as you watch the film. And that being said, I highly recommend this film. In fact, I give this film the highest of recommendations - if you only get the chance to watch one more film for the rest of your life, pick this one.
This film is close to three hours long, and as a result it has been neglected by many "casual" movie-goers. I'm just going to tell you now that this film does not feel like three hours. To quote the late Roger Ebert, "A bad 90 minute movie feels like 3 hours, while a good 3 hour movie feels like 90 minutes." And this quote holds true to this film. When I saw this film in theaters, I was astonished to see that the clock on the radio in my car was almost at 4:00 a.m.! Mostly because I had to work at 6:00 that morning, but that's besides the point. I would argue that this film would have been better if it had been longer, but then a larger number of people would never watch it, so the current length is acceptable.
With a cast such as the one we are presented in this film, and the way it is written, it is almost impossible to pick a "main" character. Well, it is actually impossible to pick a main character, one would have to pick a "main actor." But the closest thing we get is Tom Hanks. He is definitely the person to show the most improvement over time. Initially he is seen as a greedy man, killing for gold. But over the centuries, he is reborn and evolves into a hero. Other "souls" have similar journeys, but Hanks' is definitely the prominent.
I cannot give this film enough praise. It is astounding the feats the filmmakers went for this movie, and I hope that someday it gets the treatment it deserves. But until then, I will be doing my part in introducing this film into the lives of my family and friends. This film truly has something for everybody; themes of equality, beautiful love stories, cool action sequences, inspirational quotes, powerful drama pieces, and a beautiful soundtrack.
Watch this movie. If you don't like it; watch it again.
Rating: 10/10
Discussion topic: What small things in life have you done in the past that have strongly altered your own future, or the future of others?
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