REVIEW: Tristan and Isolde

Director: Kevin Reynolds



Starring: James Franco, Sophia Myles, Rufus Sewell and other unknowns (but not a bad thing.)



Plot: Two countries, not sure which ones...I think it was England and Rome. No wait! England and Ireland... oh I lost track but anyway they're at war, ok? And a noble knight, Tristan, gets injured in a battle and loses consciousness. He's not dead, but his buddies think he is. So they make one of those grave-boats with hay and send him out in the ocean. He drifts to none other than his enemy's shore, and is found by a beautiful woman, Isolde (BLOND...why do they always have to be blond!?) and she takes him in and heals his wounds with a bunch of leaves and herbs. He gets better, they fall in love, yet he goes back to his country anyway. Once home, his Lord sends Tristan out to his enemy's lands (sigh...again!?) to win a wife for him in a Gladiator-type, battle-type game. Tristan goes, wins, (YAY!) but fricken wins his true love, Isolde without even knowing it. Now he has to watch as his Lord marries HIS woman. The delicious jealousy continues....



You know, I had fun with this movie. I wasn't expecting much out of it. I went into the theater thinking it would be about sword-play and a love story 12 year olds gush about, and that's exactly what we got... but it was cool! This is the type of movie you would watch over and over again because there's no "deep" theme or anything like that. It's pretty light, a lot of eye-candy for the viewers, and easily predictable but like I said...fun.
I have never seen any of the actors in this movie before, which means there was a few "in-experienced" ones. Don't you hate it when you're watching an actor say their lines, and you can just SENSE that they know the camera is on them? It totally takes away from the story in my opinion. Despite that, I was surprised by how well the leads seemed to do. James Franco and Sophia Myles, the ones who played Tristan and Isolde, never seemed to bother me. Although the dialogue in this film was pretty dull, they were able to handle it smoothly. Mr. Franco....what a cutie, and everytime it was his cue to cry, it was my cue to gawk like a 5th grader and think, "oohhh poor baby..." heehee However he seemed to have the same face thoroughout the entire film, even when he was happy...I guess. It was like this: :- l and sometimes like this :-/ depending on who he was talking to. How about a little more emotion, huh? Man, you can get someone DOWN like that! Sophia, yes, you are an enemy to the brunettes, but you go girl, you've got the curves! THANK YOU casting director for not choosing one of those skinny chicks that make me cringe just looking at them walk! It was nice to see a real woman figure on screen, phew. She did well with her emotions. You could tell what she was feeling just by looking at her face, and that makes a swell actor. Also, in my opinion, if you're a woman, starring in a straight-up CHICK FLICK, it's important that you make a connection with all the girls watching, who may have felt that kind of pain in romance, or may long for that kind of passion.
Directing....what-the-heck-is-going-on?!? For such an elaborate story, they should have been more organized with what was happeing. The editing wasn't all that bad. It was easy to determine how much time had passed and everything. It's just that I wasn't sure who was who in this movie! Who are the enemies? Who are we supposed to root for? They should've worn different colors or something. Good guys blue, Bad guys red. That way, I could be sad when a blue guy was defeated, and relieved when a red guy was. I didn't have that, except there was some archor during the first battle scene they followed for awhile. I was enjoying his little "talent" when BOOM! He crappin' dies! That was another thing, RIGHT before you seem to make a connection with one of the characters, they're gone! They're not in the story anymore. pwshh..whatever.
The Art Direction was beautiful. This film succeded in giving a gorgeous Celtic look. This was very appealing, and it was one of the things that seemed to help carry the film, as well as the musical score. Once again, Celtic and LOVE those bagpipes!
I enjoyed this plot. It's a story about a love triangle, a very sweet one. The two men were very close and respected each other. In fact, I wasn't sure which man I wanted to end up having Isolde. Tristan found her first and they had a strong, deep connection with one another, yet Lord Markus was very gentleman-like. He wanted to make sure she was happy and was constantly asking of her feelings. Sheesh! Why not ask them BOTH to stick around? (kidding...) Yet, I'll admit that I was relieved in a "special" way when she and Tristan were able to steal a few moments together. :-*
So! What do I rate this movie.... bad directing and cheesy lines with the inablity to follow along with the plot, yet surprisingly satisfied by all the things in between. A little battle action with the big strong men, a few intimate scenes that I seem to crave the longer I am single, and a cool little love-triangle plot that included everything in a girl's chick flick fantasy: passion, jealousy, a bittersweet longing, and the fact that both men were so pleasingly attractive. Either this was a good movie, or it's time I start dating again... either way, watch it because it's fun entertainment. I gaurantee you won't be completely disappointed, because there's a little something for everyone in this film.



Rating: 3/5