Possession (2002)

Overrated and overhyped

Boring

Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

American Roland Michell (Aaron Eckhart) discovers clues to a secret love affair between Victorian era poets Randolph Henry Ash (Jeremy Northam) and Christabel LaMotte (Jennifer Ehle). His boss Blackadder is an Ash expert and dismissive of his discovery. He is often dismissed for being an American in British academia. He asks for help from LaMotte expert Maud Bailey (Gwyneth Paltrow) who ridicules him for not knowing that LaMotte was a lesbian. LaMotte was in a relationship with Blanche Glover (Lena Headey) while Ash was married. As Roland and Maud make further discoveries, they fall for each other.It's very weird that every character comments on Aaron Eckhart being an American and there's Gwyneth Paltrow playing a Brit. I don't know why Lena Headey isn't the lead other than Paltrow is a bigger name. This is a slightly off-centered romance following two relationships in different times. The academia is a good backdrop but there aren't enough hurdles to make the modern romance that interesting. The actors are perfectly fine but Roland and Maud don't have enough heat together.

Review: I quite enjoyed this intense drama about about 2 scholars who are looking for the missing pages between 2 secret lovers, which are worth quite a lot of money. The storyline goes back and forth in time which makes the movie easy to follow because every is explained with real actions in Victorian times. I found the storyline interesting and quite touching because the 2 lovers found themselves in an impossible situation but they couldn't stop feeling for each other. Basically, it's a tamer version of National Treasure, without the action. The love story between the 2 historians was a bit corny, but it's a watchable movie which stays interesting throughout. Watchable!Round-Up: Aaron Eckhart and Gwyenth Paltrow was a great choice for this movie because they seem to pull out emotional performances with ease. The chemistry between the 2 characters was believable and I was impressed with Paltrows English accent. The Victorian scenes were also portrayed well but once you know the whole plot, it's not the type of movie that you will be watching again in a hurry. Judging by the gross of the movie, it was well received by audiences which is a shame because I have seen worse.Budget: $25million Worldwide Gross: $15millionI recommend this movie to people who are into there dramas about a couple of scholars who are looking for the missing pages of a Victorian poet and his lover. 5/10

Possession is a romantic and mysterious film based on the novel of the same name by A. S. Byatt.It film tells the story of two scholars, Roland Michell and Maud Bailey, who investigate the affair of fictional Victorian era poet Randolph Henry Ash, described in letters between him and another fictional poet, Christabel LaMotte.The movie stars Aaron Eckhart,Gwyneth Paltrow,Jeremy Northam and Jennifer Ehle.It is written and directed by Neil LaBute.While the film probably won't leave you swooning, it is at least an earnest love letter to its transcendent source.It consists of quality of the acting, and the Brits -- Northam and Ehle -- invest their forbidden love with centuries of fine repressed English tradition.Despite the fact that Gwyneth Paltrow and Aaron Eckhart lead the cast, their performances as modern characters rank second to Jeremy Northam and Jennifer Ehle.Unfortunately,what is supposed to be a deep examination of the transcendence of love and art and poetry turns into another shallow film about how repressed the British are.Aside from acting,there is nothing else about this film as it pass as either an After School Special for adults or a Love Story for the new millennium.Or worse,a closeted comedy.

As a student of English Literature A. S. Byatt is one of my favourite writers and I read the book with curiosity. I never watch a movie which is based on a novel before reading the novel itself and this was like this also.It's a very very long and condensed book. After the book I watched the movie and at some point, like towards the end I thought that I read the book wrong. The scenario is awful that it is not about the book. It is kind of an independent screenplay.This is not fair for such an awesome book!!! The movie killed the book!!!