The Postman

The Postman (movie)
without the last two minutes

I have to say that I really enjoyed this movie, and was very disappointed that it received the critical panning and lack of attendance that it did. Unfortunately, I think that two factors led to the movie's public downfall: the post-Waterworld shunning of Kevin Costner by critics, and also the public expectation of major special effects in any science fiction movie - a part of, in my opinion, why science fiction movies suck these days.

However, there were a number of really great things about this movie. Starting with those things specific to the media, I thought this movie was visually stunning, in much the same way that Dances With Wolves was such a tremendous visual shot. Broad, sweeping shots that take in huge areas, beautiful landscape images, and incredible motion shots make this a great visual movie. It also had a quite good soundtrack, as I recall (although I'd have to listen to it again) - unobtrusive, but nicely evocative.

So, the story. The story is more straightforward than the book, with the main character being simpler and a conglomeration of several characters in the book. Similarly, where the book really isn't a "good guy versus bad guy" story, the movie simplifies this struggle by combining several of the antagonists into one. Several of the more complicated aspects of the book never make appearances in the movie at all. And, of course, there is the addition of a primary love interest which is a very minor part of the book.

Although the movie is simplified, it is done so very well - it essentially takes the central plot of the book and streamlines it into something that can be put on screen in a vaguely reasonable amount of time (yeah, it's three hours. Deal.). But the strength of the story still remains.

Kevin Costner plays the main character very well - he is in his element as the bumbling-but-essentially-noble con-man/actor turned revolutionary. The actor who plays the main bad guy (I can remember neither name, unfortunately) is also excellent - very believable as a former photocopier repairman turned dictator. On the whole, the various actors in this move are *all* good, which is rare.

Yes, there are some very cheesy moments. And yes, the movie is long. So why do I like this movie so much? Well, I'm a sucker for good cheese, I will admit (as certain ex-significant others have remarked, I tend toward the sappy side). But the best thing about this movie is that it is *original*. It has an interesting plot, and manages to be a good science fiction movie without relying on any real special effects. The characters are reasonably complex and interesting. Moreover, this movie makes you think just a little bit, just as the book does.

The two major gripes I had about the movie are that the final confrontation between the Postman and the bad guy was a little bit contrived - if the bad guy was as nasty as he was made out to be, it was way to easy for the Postman to beat him. And the two minute epilogue added to the end was, if you will excuse me, total crap. Like the ending tacked onto Terminator 2, or the original Blade Runner, it panders to the idea that the audience needs to know that everything turned out OK in the end. A need which I am not sure actually exists (go see The Truman Show), but even if it does - too bad. Those endings tend to make movies much less interesting.

However, even with those two problems, I still thought this was a great movie. I highly recommend going out and renting it when you have three hours to kill (although I do recommend using the "stop" button to make it two hours and fifty-eight minutes).

I thought the movie was okay. Like a well-made Hollywood film it had some excellent visuals, some mving moments, and simple, emotional climas. And like a Hollywood movie it had a simplistic, predictable plot, mediocre dialog, and some ridiculously cheesy scenes. But the book...