To be honest, I wasn’t looking forward to watching this. I’m not very good with period drama’s so I doubted that I’d like this. I anticipated a long and dull story. Instead, I got sucked in quite quickly. The story is very mesmerizing and it held me in its grasp until the very end. It’s a bittersweet story about love, sisterhood and, you might have guessed it, atonement.
The casting is brilliant. Keira Knightley does a good job, but there’s something enchanting about James McAvoy. I love watching him act. No matter what role he plays, he’s always charming and quite simply, brilliant. Saoirse Ronan (Briony aged 13) also grabs your attention. Her appearance is striking, with her fair hair and steel blue eyes, but the way she demands your attention by her acting is superb!
I’d recommend this movie. It’s not for everyone but it’s important to keep an open mind. If you do, you will get rewarded.
The story is amazing of course, I'll have to read the book some day. It's an enormously gripping film with some humour, lots of drama and many very intense moments. The story is about the accusations of a child who sees something and does not understand it's meaning - and about all the suffering that's caused by that. In a wider sense, it's about how lies or stories can manipulate people and influence their lives.
The movie is visually very beautiful and the music is really special - they integrated the sound of a typewriter into the score which relates to the story and adds a lot of suspense and just the right pace to some scenes. There's also an opera song in one scene which fits perfectly.
Some scenes like a very long one-shot-scene at the beach are extremely special and really convey the emotions beautifully. I also loved the way some scenes were shown twice (from different viewpoints or with more details the second time) and some backflashes were integrated into the story.
The actors were amazing. James McAvoy was absolutely stunning and completely disappeared into the character. Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley were great, as were lots of supporting actors. Even the kids and teenagers in the movie were absolutely wonderful.
Lots of scenes were really touching, sensual or sad, dealing with some serious topics like war and abuse and with human experiences in general. There are some interesting scenes throughout the movie that have a symbolic meaning or mirror each other.
Atonement, what a movie.
James McAvoy and Keira Knightley were fantastic, I was surprised that Saoirse Ronan was nominated for an oscar, she was pretty good in the movie.
Great romance, drama and war movie, beautiful score and surprising ending.
4.25/5
Overly praised drama. Didn't grab me at all. Did have lovely music, good performances and a great shot (Duinkerken) but felt long and cold to me. Not the emotional punch i was expecting.
Rarely has a book sprung so vividly to life, but also worked so enthrallingly in pure movie terms, as with “Atonement,” Brit helmer Joe Wright’s smart, dazzlingly upholstered adaptation of Ian McEwan’s celebrated 2001 novel. Period yarn, largely set in 1930s and ‘40s England, about an adolescent outburst of spite that …destroys two lives and crumples a third, preserves much of the tome’s metaphysical depth and all of its emotional power. And as in Wright’s “Pride & Prejudice,” Keira Knightley — echoed by co-thesp James McAvoy proves every bit as magnetic as the divas of those classic mellers pic consciously references.
So heartbreaking. James McAvoy should have been nominated for an Oscar. His performance is increadibly powerful. This movie should have gotten more attention.
Despite a cool story and some good ideas here and there, this movie is poorly directed and acted in my opinion and ends up being not organic and fragmented, which is a pity. Above all probably casting and war representation is really sad, not to mention this should be a romantic plot, but it is not at all.
Not recommended
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Comments 1 - 15 of 32
danisanna
To be honest, I wasn’t looking forward to watching this. I’m not very good with period drama’s so I doubted that I’d like this. I anticipated a long and dull story. Instead, I got sucked in quite quickly. The story is very mesmerizing and it held me in its grasp until the very end. It’s a bittersweet story about love, sisterhood and, you might have guessed it, atonement.The casting is brilliant. Keira Knightley does a good job, but there’s something enchanting about James McAvoy. I love watching him act. No matter what role he plays, he’s always charming and quite simply, brilliant. Saoirse Ronan (Briony aged 13) also grabs your attention. Her appearance is striking, with her fair hair and steel blue eyes, but the way she demands your attention by her acting is superb!
I’d recommend this movie. It’s not for everyone but it’s important to keep an open mind. If you do, you will get rewarded.
mrissa
This is such an amazing movie, i almost started crying and believe my I'm not someone who cries really quick with movies.IreneAdler
One of the best movies I've ever seen.The story is amazing of course, I'll have to read the book some day. It's an enormously gripping film with some humour, lots of drama and many very intense moments. The story is about the accusations of a child who sees something and does not understand it's meaning - and about all the suffering that's caused by that. In a wider sense, it's about how lies or stories can manipulate people and influence their lives.
The movie is visually very beautiful and the music is really special - they integrated the sound of a typewriter into the score which relates to the story and adds a lot of suspense and just the right pace to some scenes. There's also an opera song in one scene which fits perfectly.
Some scenes like a very long one-shot-scene at the beach are extremely special and really convey the emotions beautifully. I also loved the way some scenes were shown twice (from different viewpoints or with more details the second time) and some backflashes were integrated into the story.
The actors were amazing. James McAvoy was absolutely stunning and completely disappeared into the character. Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley were great, as were lots of supporting actors. Even the kids and teenagers in the movie were absolutely wonderful.
Lots of scenes were really touching, sensual or sad, dealing with some serious topics like war and abuse and with human experiences in general. There are some interesting scenes throughout the movie that have a symbolic meaning or mirror each other.
Beautiful and absolutely recommendable!
Admiral Softy
Contains one of the best tracking shots you'll ever see. The Dunkirk scene is just unforgettable in its extravagance.Joker of Gotham
Atonement, what a movie.James McAvoy and Keira Knightley were fantastic, I was surprised that Saoirse Ronan was nominated for an oscar, she was pretty good in the movie.
Great romance, drama and war movie, beautiful score and surprising ending.
4.25/5
Earring72
Overly praised drama. Didn't grab me at all. Did have lovely music, good performances and a great shot (Duinkerken) but felt long and cold to me. Not the emotional punch i was expecting.Daaanaaa
loved it!rainy
James McAvoy, marry me.amal hashim
amazing movie, unbelievably underrated and overlookedEylemBasakEkinci
Rarely has a book sprung so vividly to life, but also worked so enthrallingly in pure movie terms, as with “Atonement,” Brit helmer Joe Wright’s smart, dazzlingly upholstered adaptation of Ian McEwan’s celebrated 2001 novel. Period yarn, largely set in 1930s and ‘40s England, about an adolescent outburst of spite that …destroys two lives and crumples a third, preserves much of the tome’s metaphysical depth and all of its emotional power. And as in Wright’s “Pride & Prejudice,” Keira Knightley — echoed by co-thesp James McAvoy proves every bit as magnetic as the divas of those classic mellers pic consciously references.MarteJensen
So heartbreaking. James McAvoy should have been nominated for an Oscar. His performance is increadibly powerful. This movie should have gotten more attention.julex
One of the best movie I've ever seenmirlaamorim
Amazing. <3eglebrr
Loved every single minute of itlucafilm
Despite a cool story and some good ideas here and there, this movie is poorly directed and acted in my opinion and ends up being not organic and fragmented, which is a pity. Above all probably casting and war representation is really sad, not to mention this should be a romantic plot, but it is not at all.Not recommended
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