So much average

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

As Good As It Gets

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

I loved all three movies. I love history. After watching the series I felt and understood the struggle and pain the colonists endured and what drove them to declare independence.It's one thing to know history and another thing to totally feel the desperation they endured. I also loved the characters. This was so well done. I wished the characters could have gone on to continue the struggle. You could have made it a series like Rome and people would have eaten it up.

I can forgive the historical embellishments and inaccuracies but I can't overlook the poor casting. With a series loaded with iconic historical characters, it is a shame that the portrayal of most of them is so lame. Very lackluster performances. Speeches meant to be moving fall short. Ben Barnes as Sam Adams is ridiculous. Sam Adams was past 50 at that time, older than many others there including George Washington. His portrayal falls terribly short. Totally lacks the compelling attributes that made him such a significant leader during that period. The players who portrayed George Washington and Benjamin Franklin betrays the greatness of the historical personalities. One would expect to see them portrayed almost larger than life. I was expecting compelling performances that would leave me in some bit of awe and respect for their monumental roles and even feel patriotic, but t didn't. I am not one who makes it a habit to criticize acting in programs, but I find the acting and casting so poor that it really robs from my enjoying this program.

I know, I know...it took "liberties" with historical accuracy. What book, movie or TV show hasn't though? This one was engaging, entertaining and thought provoking. But the biggest bang was the last 30 minutes. It was worth watching everything just for the signing of the Declaration of Independence and George Washington reciting parts of it to the troops before battle.For those who want to strictly adhere to history, watch a documentary. Because this presentation does dramatize and show some things that were only conjecture in the books we've read. But it weaves a core of truth through it all that makes you FEEL how powerful the choices these men made were.What this show will do (should do) is compel people to want to know more. Want to understand more. Sure, Wikipedia will be a fantastic resource to have open during the watching, but hopefully it will instill a thirst for knowledge of where "we" started, how far we've come and how far we still have to go in so many ways.Personally, I'm going to get a copy to watch with my older grandkids before the next 4th of July. It's a great way to introduce them to the fantastic heritage they have. Something they can't get out of a school book.

So what if it is not on par with what truly happened historically? So what if character representation is not precise? This mini series was not meant to be an historical reference. It was written for entertainment and very entertaining it is. Fact is no one knows absolutely for sure what took place back then as they were not around during that period. This mini series is not about what happened but rather about entertainment and what could have been.Hats off to history channel for what I consider a masterpiece indeed. My only disappointment was that it was a short mini series. I really loved it.