One of the most important factors to your opinion on a movie is the mood that you are in when you see it for the first time. There’s a bit of a stomach flu going around where I live, and I’m sorry to say that I’ve caught it. So maybe it’s just from the mind of a sick teenager, but I found this movie to be pretty underwhelming

I had really high expectations for this movie. Two years ago, I went on a field trip with my class to Springfield, and we went to the Lincoln Museum, where wax sculptures and detailed set pieces let you experience all of Lincoln’s life, from boyhood in the Illinois cabin up to his untimely death. If you live near Springfield, you must experience this, and I was excited to see Spielberg try to tackle this story.

What came down to me as the main problem with the movie is that there is no tension whatsoever. The entire plot and conflict is all set around whether or not the 13th amendment will pass. (Oh, will it pass? The suspense is killing me!) That’s literally all there is to it. And like I said, there’s a very good chance that the movie is better than I think it is. The main selling point of the movie is Daniel Day Lewis, who truly is ‘more Lincoln than Lincoln’. He truly disappears into the role in the way only a great actor can and steals the show, to say the least. The only downside is the people he’s stealing it from. Tommy Lee Jones and Sally Field are both incredible performances, and minor players Gloria Rueben and Joseph Gordon-Levitt don’t get as much screen time as they should.

Apart from thatThe art direction was pretty nice, and the music by John Williams is amazing. Then again, when is music by John Williams not amazing? But how is Lincoln as a movie? Remember, if I disagree with your opinion on a movie, don’t take it the wrong way. I guess I would have been more invested if the entire story of Lincoln’s life had been told, like in the museum. The simple fact is that the story has no surprise or suspense. Lincoln himself doesn’t even have character development- he is the same in the beginning as he is in the end. This makes the film less of a story and more of a series of events. If you want to watch it, it won’t hurt. But it personally didn’t do it for me.

And before I go, I’d just like to say that I’m feeling better, so when I do my next review, I’ll be feeling a little bit less miserable (forced wink)

***1/2