I had rather high hopes for this. A high IMDb rating (8.3 for Lagaan) should at the same time never be seen as a guarantee (V for Vendetta, Rush, Ip Man to name just a few surprising above-8-ratings) and could be as deceptive as Academy awards nominations/winners. Im sure ratings and accolades accounts for something, but in some cases, it is hard to understand how a movie has grown to be generally accepted as a masterpiece.
For me, Lagaan is such a film. The title (Once upon a time in India) and the length (244 min!) implies an epic. At the same time, the length is a double-edged sword. If musicals with an underdog sport story is not your thing ca 4h may prove to be quite a feat. I sat through this but did not like it much. I found it cheesy, sentimental and thought most characters where irritating. I guess the idea is you should sheer for the team of mistreated locals. One of the problems is that you never really feel that their situation is severe, since the film is so family oriented and polished...I'm sure a lot of people like Lagaan, there is a lot of proof for it. For me, it stands as one of many examples of mysteriously high-rated mediocrity.
For me, Lagaan is such a film. The title (Once upon a time in India) and the length (244 min!) implies an epic. At the same time, the length is a double-edged sword. If musicals with an underdog sport story is not your thing ca 4h may prove to be quite a feat. I sat through this but did not like it much. I found it cheesy, sentimental and thought most characters where irritating. I guess the idea is you should sheer for the team of mistreated locals. One of the problems is that you never really feel that their situation is severe, since the film is so family oriented and polished...I'm sure a lot of people like Lagaan, there is a lot of proof for it. For me, it stands as one of many examples of mysteriously high-rated mediocrity.