Best movie of this year hands down!

Very well executed

Such a frustrating disappointment

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

Who would have thought it? This is a historical romance set in a time period virtually ignored by Hollywood, based on a 12th century narrative. And it's actually good! I wasn't expecting the themes here to be dealt with in such a mature fashion, but it goes to show that films like this can still be made when the right intentions are behind them. The director of this one is Kevin Reynolds, who made the much-maligned ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES, but thankfully Bryan Adams is nowhere in sight this time around. The lack of modern knowledge about this period in history means that there's less scope for historical anachronisms, but they're still here! I can overlook the presence of a Norman-style motte and bailey castle, but to have one character quoting a John Donne poem (written some thousand years after this film is set) is inexcusable. Watch out for the fork at a dinner table as well.Otherwise, the backdrop looks and feels good, and I was pleased to find that there's action and battle here, including a rousing climax and a tournament that recalls that of GLADIATOR (Ridley Scott served as producer on this). The central love story is slightly mishandled, because we end up losing sympathy for the lead characters, particularly Isolde, whose frequent errors of judgement contribute to the tragic storyline. I didn't particularly care for the casting of Sophie Myles either – her Irish accent is all over the place. Imported American lead James Franco is better as the tough hero, but, as with Costner, there's something that screams 'Hollywood' about him, taking away from his authenticity. The good news is that we get Rufus Sewell playing the third spoke of the love triangle, and he's simply superb as the sympathetic king. Sewell usually gets typecast as the bad guy in Hollywood films, but he plays a fully rounded figure here, and he's the best thing in the film, bringing all his scenes to life. I would say that I wish he'd played the hero, but I think his character is actually much more interesting, so I'm not complaining.So, as with ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES, despite the anachronisms, this is a thoroughly entertaining movie and one I wouldn't mind watching again. Stunning location photography, romance, battle, conflict, a fine supporting cast and plenty of twists – that's what I want from my historical films!

...Tristan. Sadly the plot was very predictable and that is due not so much for pre-knowledge of the text but more the glut of similarly themed films the past 10 years.Rufus Sewell is excellent as 'Mark' as was the villain Marc StrongI will say in an era of 'feminazis' it is good to see strong male roles and their character shown in times of stress which brings me to FrancoJames Franco sadly does not inspire acceptance as anyone who has 'experienced' life. It's not his fault but he looks more like one of the extras for those Ralph Lauren cologne ads shot on Long Island.Isolde was very believable and she acted like a strong but morally corrupted soul. Franco looks like his real skill is soap operas or as a stand in for Joseph Fiennes - a gigolo.

Tristan and Isolde (2006) Director: Kevin Reynolds Writer: Dean Georgaris Stars: James Franco and Sophia Myles Genre: Drama/ RomanceThis movie is a 2006 production based on the medieval romantic legend of Tristan and Isolde. The film is set in both Ireland and Great Britain during the Dark Ages, around the 600s. One of the main characters, Lord Marke (Rufus Sewell), attempts to bring together the people of Britain so that the Irish do not overtake them by means of war. Unfortunately, the Irish attack on Lord Marke's people and during this attack, he saves another British lord's son named Tristan (James Franco). Lord Marke has raised him as his son and right-hand man. Tristan grows to become a courageous warriors and is beyond loyal to Marke who is his only father figure. Tristan and other warriors set out to attack the Irish, but Tristan is poisoned. The poison makes Tristain appear to be dead and therefore, his body is put out to sea on a funeral boat. Eventually, his boat and body wash on shore of Ireland. Tristain is revived by Isolde (Sophia Myles) and her maid in a hidden beach house. This is where Tristain and Isolde begin to fall in love. The plot of the love story thickens as a series of events happen and Isolde is promised to Lord Marke and Tristan and Isolde are forced to keep their love affair going behind Lord Marke's back. The dialogue of this movie could have used a little work. The script was trying to stay true to the time era, but the script could have been slightly more developed. If the script was more developed it would have added to the overall development of the characters. However, the story time frame helped with character development for Tristan's character, but again adding more dialogue would have helped viewers understand the other characters better. Also, more script could help viewers understand when exactly Tristan and Isolde fall in love when they are living in the hidden beach house.The use of camera shots in Tristan and Isolde consisted of far, medium and close up shots. These types of shots were used appropriately throughout the movie. For example, close up shots were used to show Tristan and Isolde's passion and love for each other during kisses. Medium shots were of importance too when Tristan is watching Isolde dance with Lord Marke, the viewer can see how fixated Tristain is on Isolde even with all the commotion of the party happening around him. Lastly, long shots were sometimes used to show sadness, such as when Tristain's body is floating away in the ocean during his first funeral. All in all, I thought this movie was a perfect combination of action, romance, and drama. The script could use some work, but the cameramen for this movie made up for the lack of script by developing the story through pictures. If the viewers are into classic romance stories such as Romeo and Juliet, Tristan and Isolde is just the movie. The action keeps the movie rolling and the secret love affair is sure to keep viewers wanting more.

Tristan & Isolde is a romantic drama film based on the medieval romantic legend of Tristan and Isolde. It stars James Franco and Sophia Myles in the title role together with Rufus Sewell. The movie was produced by Ridley Scott and Tony Scott, and directed by Kevin Reynolds.After the collapse of the Roman Empire, King Donnchadh of Ireland has become the de facto ruler of England, but one of his underlings, Lord Marke, dreams of uniting British forces with an eye toward self-rule. One of Marke's most valuable allies is Tristan,his protégé, who has become a brave warrior since he was rescued by the lord after his parents were murdered by Irish forces during a battle. While Marke and Tristan dream of banishing Ireland's presence in England, Tristan has a secret he's been hiding from Marke after suffering serious wounds during a hard-fought battle, he was rescued and nursed back to health by Isolde ,King Donnchadh's daughter,and the two fell deeply in love. But the couple were separated after Tristan returned to England, and when Donnchadh attempts to quell the British uprising by staging a tournament among the nation's greatest warriors, an extreme and rather personal surprise is in store for Tristan.The movie was boring.No question about it.Despite of the great visual style and a haunting original music score composed by Anne Dudley,the movie does not achieve the romanticism that it aims for.Also,Franco and Myles does not elevate the drama to a compelling and powerful movie.They manage to make Tristan and Isolde's love story a standard romance found in most dramatic films.But nevertheless,it manages to entertain inspite of the fact that its goal is to be more than just a guilty pleasure film. In other words,it has less to offer especially for movies that features romantic piece periods.