This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Other postings have regarded this is the best film of all time. Notwithstanding that I have seen GWTW, How the West Was Won, and Ben Hur as original or re-releases in genuine movie houses, I think that's a little over the top. Centennial is an "over-the-top" Television mini-series. And it is a sincere attempt to be three films (all at once) delivered in that venue; which was a popular scheme of presentation, at that time in the history of film, on television.The 1970s were a time of "Movies of the Week", "The Weekend", "Complete Novels for Television"; and, one to three-night, presentations of highly successful theatrical releases, such as GWTW (those initials need no introduction), The Godfathers (I, and II), Exodus, The Bible; and, The Ten Commandments, to name just a few.Centennial was first and foremost an attempt to be; one of NBC's "The Complete Novel for Television". And as such, it must first be said that Centennial (the novel) was neither "The Godfather", nor GWTW. No one could possibly say that the book (even if faithfully transferred to film; which it was), was a work in which a vast reading (GWTW type) public; were anxiously awaiting the announcement of the film, and the selection of its cast and director. Without NBC's programming production decision (after which it went looking for novels), it is impossible to conclude that a film studio, or specialist producer/director (a Coppola say) would have attempted to meet popular demand for a theatrical interpretation of this work.The second type of film this was is a "documentary drama" of the "Roots" variety. The book and film didn't go so far as to suggest that they were chronicling the actual multi-generational life of real family, in an American historical context. It however, did start out from the premise that thru the lives of the fictional characters (acting in accord with the received historical narrative), an important historical and ultimately entertaining story could be related and enjoyably told.The third type of film this was was a television film, a television mini-series; chopped up in multiple blocks or portions, which are to be served up in a way to meet the scheduling requirements of the broadcast medium. And it is the combination of these three types of film that Centennial was, and results in what its rating should be.On that basis this well-made film is an average to below average television work. It is far too long for the story that it tells. The historical settlement of Colorado and or the West is not the American Civil War, or the American Revolution. It isn't even "War and Remembrance"(WAR). And tying up the loose-ends with a 1970s detective mystery looking for "who did it", is not the way that either "Roots" or WAR ended.

Staggering is a good word to describe this mammoth, epic miniseries which traces the birth of a Colorado town from the first time a white man sets foot on in up to the present day (of the time it was filmed.) The story is multi-generational, beginning with French-Canadian trapper Conrad and continuing on with his descendants and those of people he knew. Conrad and best pal Chamberlain's story eventually gives way to Pennsylvania Dutch pioneer and trader Harrison's, which in turn passes the torch to Dalton and his 6,000,000 acre ranch and then to town sheriff Keith and so on, before landing in 1978 with Janssen's bid at a political career. Along the way, many vignettes depict the vast changes, conflicts and hurdles, which affected the birth and growth of the town and its inhabitants. The cast is nothing short of jaw dropping with a plethora of notable television series stars appearing for either long or short stretches of time. Conrad, Chamberlain, Everett, Harrison, Weaver, Karras and Keith all get strong roles that afford them the chance to shine. There are several women, however, who also get to play terrific parts. Carrera is unforgettably gentle and beautiful as an Indian maiden, Zimbalist is wondrous as Harrison's determined wife and Redgrave has one of the best parts of her career as an English girl who transforms over time to a powerful and important pillar of the community. Naturally, there are a few folks who don't measure up in the acting department as well. Some of the smaller roles are essayed by people with limited thespian ability and McHattie is outrageously bad and over the top as Conrad's rebel Indian son. Also, Carlson, as Conrad's white daughter, and Raines, as his Indian one, have flat, unenthusiastic voices and give bland performances. Mostly, though, the cast is strong, although several actors are forced, due to the longevity of their characters in the storyline, to endure some really obvious, even shoddy, age makeup. Sadly, some folks, such as former screen hunks Walker, Rivero and Williams, get short shrift and barely appear at all. Among the more memorable sequences are Harrison and Zimbalist's trouble-plagued trip west, Weaver's taxing and dangerous cattle drive, the scheming of actors Zerbe, Nettleton and McKeon and the love story between Redgrave and her ranch hand Atherton. In truth, the miniseries could have ended one night early, with the prophetic words of Redgrave to her grandson, but it did not and so a lengthy and somewhat dull finale included Griffith, Janssen and Gless chewing over environmental issues with shady Vaughn. Exciting and dramatic sequences of the earlier hours segue into watching a red Ford truck follow Griffith and Gless around a muddy construction site, as if the driver and his pal could hear anything anyway! This, paired with the needless and protracted flashbacks, leaves a mildly unpalatable taste in the mouth. However, the bulk of the series is terrific, capped off by some great musical scoring by John Addison. Somewhere in the mêlée of period St. Louis (actually a redressed Augusta, KY riverfront) is teenage George Clooney as an extra townsperson! And where else can one find Dr. Kildare, Dr. Joe Gannon, Dr. Gonzo Gates, Dr. Sam Loomis, Dr. Sam Quinn, Dr. Buck James, Dr. Richard Kimble and Dr. Bobby Caldwell all in the same program?!

I watched "Centennial" for the first time last week having borrowed it from a friend and was overall pleased with it. I am a fan of series or franchise type movies as they enable you to see a more complete development of the characters and stories involved. Taking several hours to view the life of a person on screen makes them become more believable and personable to the audience I believe. I only give it a 7 out of ten because of certain aspects of the film that are sometimes unavoidable due to when it was made.It was a made for television production and feels like it, rather than the more fluid pace of a film for the theater. The make up and costumes had a distinct unrealistic bright and clean TV show look rather than the true west of that period. Having studied the west as a historical subject, I think some of the production and story came across as unrealistic, but I enjoyed the film none the less. I found the early part of the series to be much more enjoyable and closer to authentic history rather than the latter parts, and found some of the commentary in the last reel by the main characters to be preachy, inaccurate and politically correct with a bias that not always squares with actual fact. Having spent some time in Colorado in that actual area, I saw none of much of what was lamented about. The movie was good for the most part, but unfortunately, a product of its time in the late seventies with all that was happening politically and socially. I will definitely watch it again, but probably skip the last episode. Had James Mitchner left the story in the 1930s, it would have been a better story. Instead I came away with a aggravated sense of having to listen to Mr. Mitchners personal ax grinding about how much America is to blame for everything. Most maddening was the ridiculous statement in the film that the Rocky Mountains couldn't be seen from ten miles away because of all the pollution in the air. I have been there, I have family who has lived there for twenty five years, this comment was absurd and pushing an agenda.

The lead commentator here is absolutely on the mark. Again, belatedly, I opted for the DVD version, and, having accessed the first three disks, am here to join mikehess in proclaiming this James A. Michener opus a masterwork for all time. Indeed, less than halfway through a revisiting, this series has forecast the likes of Dubya, AND the sad FACT THAT THIS NATION HAS YET TO RISE TO THE FAINTEST GLIMMER OF AN UNDERSTANDING OF ITS OWN HUBRIS, ITS BOAST, ITS VAUNTED "SUPERIORITY." What FRANK Skimmerhorn did in the name of vengeance is no better and no worse than what we, today, are doing unto the entire globe, unto humanity itself, AND, more to the point OURSELVES. It isn't merely the land, or even the "people," it's our joined humanity. That is, if we recognize such an "ideology.",