Stoneblah Asynumb

This sounds like it had promise. Kate Beckinsale, Jim Sturgess, David Thewlis, Brendon Gleeson, Ben Kingsley and Michael Caine. Sounds like...

A new doctor arrives at an asylum (at the end of 1899), and find there are rather unusual treatments being run. Almost like the people in charge don't really have properly medical qualifications. Still, a lot of their treatments are better than the standard ones of the time, so they've got that going for them. The main part of the plot is revealed after half an hour, and movie summaries basically give it away, so what we have here is a patients running asylum premise.

Which sounds good as a premise. Indeed, Edgar Allen Poe wrote a short story based on the idea, which is the basis for this movie. However, that was a short story, not nearly two hours. The main thread that gets added is, of course, a love story. Because every film needs to have that. But what mainly is added is padding. This movie just drags on far too long, cut about an hour out it will be better.

As I point out, lots of big names in this... and yet, I can't say I heard of this movie before seeing it on the recent dvd releases. I thought it was just another low budget movie. Nope, it's big. I somehow doubt they got their budget back.

Yeah, skip this. The calibre of stars isn't enough to overcome the story.

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