the ability to travel to a million places and be a million people without

ever moving from your seat. To forget for a moment about the exam you just

failed, or the one your going to fail and simply watch the movie.

It means sitting for hours in an uncomfortable seat, undisturbed by the

giant head seated in front of you and unaware of the dozens of popcorn kernels

now lodged in your teeth. It means never glancing at your watch because

you are completely involved in experiencing the film with all of your senses.

As you curse the boy behind the counter for convincing you to drop an

extra quarter for the large soda, you squeeze you legs, for you can’t miss

one minute.

In the wake of Titanic it will be difficult for any movie to have

such an impact on moviegoers. However, Great Expectations has the

rich, quality characters that keeps the audience in their seats. The modern

adaptation of Charles Dickens’ 1860 novel, maintained the unique story and

employed the same intriguing roles as the original.

The quick-moving cinematography is set to a great soundtrack that coincides

with the pace of the film. It is a coming-of-age story that focuses on the

love in an innocent boy as it is corrupted by the harsh realities of maturation.

Finn, the protagonist played by Ethan Hawke, is plagued with an unrequited

love for Gwyneth Paltrow’s character, Estella. As the two evolve into adulthood,

their paths continue to cross and their love, or lack thereof, becomes increasingly

intense. Paltrow’s character is blatantly sexual and continually flaunts

herself around the less confident Finn.

Great Expectations displays Finn’s path to callousness as his

heart is broken and rebroken on his way to becoming a successful New York

artist. The artwork in the film is incredibly appealing and rich in composition,

which serves as another illustration for the story.

Anne Bankroft was phenomenal as the reclusive, love-scorn aunt of Estella,

a modern day spin on Dickens’ Miss Havisham. Though her character is completely

insane, as she sucks down her cigarettes and martinis, she grows increasingly

likable and sympathetic.

Robert Deniro successfully represented another world of exile as the

escaped convict. The presence of these two forces in the young Finn’s life,

remains evident throughout the film as they reappear in both his art and

his life. Though the central theme is love, Great Expectations is

far from mushy, as it is more about the loveless than the loved.

With the release of such films as Good Will Hunting, As Good

as it Gets and Titanic, moviegoers have come to expect more from

a $6.50 ticket. Great Expectations is certainly worth seeing in the

theater as it is both entertaining and enlightening.

It probably won’t, however, change any lives or send people back to the

theater three and four times. It is an excellent, artistic film and as long

as moviegoers don’t expect the Titanic, they will be pleased.

The public does have great expectations for this movie and some will

walk away from the theaters extremely satisfied and others will be disappointed;

that is simply a matter of taste.

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