Redundant and unnecessary.

I wanted to but couldn't!

Expected more

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

I looked this up on IMDb because I found a DVD copy in the discount bin, and wanted to know if it was worth the $4 ... I've been greatly interested in this period of history since I first saw The Crucible on stage, and also because one of my ancestors (Susannah North Martin) was hanged as a witch at Salem. I might guess that the above critiques that compared The Crucible (movie, not play, apparently) in any manner are perhaps not remembering that Miller's opus was an allegory for the McCarthy hearings during the Red Scare of the early 1950s, so Miller may have, in fact, taken some literary liberties with facts that could have been documented. (In his defense, I would suggest that the research done since his play was produced (and that story probably stimulated a lot of the research) has answered a great number of questions, and perhaps clarified inaccuracies presented, regardless of their sources.) I missed seeing this on TV when it ran, and since the above reviews generally are favorable, I will definitely be going back to the discount bin to purchase a copy. I expect that I have often spent money more foolishly, and at worst I will be able to pass a few hours enjoying the entertainment aspect of the story line. It will give me one more chance to glean background information on my family and their times. (BTW, Cotton Mather's alleged comment, which suggested that even though their guilt may have been in doubt, the court should "hang them anyway" has etched his place in history near the bottom of the garbage pile, regardless of his later recanting of the sentiment.)

I was pleased to finally see Hollywood come out with a more realistic portrayal of the events surrounding one of the darkest periods in American history. The acting is excellent and the events are about as close to reality as you will ever get out of our American movie industry, which is usually incapable of portraying such historical facts without garbaging things up with special effects and their two cents worth of fiction thrown in for the purpose of maintaining the interest of those with IQ's that parallel the range of springtime temperatures. I highly recommend this movie to anyone interested in this period of our history.

I thought this was a great movie!! The acting done by everyone was perfect and very hard to do. I really enjoyed the costumes and accents. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time (no boring parts). If you like good acting, this is a must see!!!

Having read the play, "The Crucible" and being a fan of the play, this movie is a pure travesty. I think if the director of this movie was to watch the movie "The Crucible" he would have learned what to do and not to do in this movie.I was just wondering, where was the character that came to Salem, that specialist in witchcraft? I can't remember his name, but he was one of the coolest characters in the book, and he should have been in this movie. He is the guy that starts believing that the girls are just faking it.I think the acting of the girls "afflicted" by the "witches" did a superb acting job.