Suriyothai 2001

Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press: Without knowing what has been lost in the process, it would be hard to imagine the original film was any less repetitive or more dramatically engaging than what remains. Read more

Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune: The movie's luscious design and rich cinematography make it worth watching -- though you'd be well advised to study a synopsis carefully before trying to watch it. Read more

A.O. Scott, New York Times: It is visually sweeping, and the history is fascinating, but the drama is rarely stirring. Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: The movie is both stunning on the level of visual pageantry and curiously inert as cinema. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: They won't be making another film like this any time soon, and the chance to see all those elephants is not one you get every day. Read more

Eric Harrison, Houston Chronicle: Visually ravishing and full of double-crosses and nefarious plots worthy of Shakespeare. Read more

Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News: Connoisseurs of Cecil B. DeMille-style spectacle will find much to like here, even if they're not sure who's who and what the heck is going on. Read more

John Patterson, L.A. Weekly: Despite the exotic visuals, Western viewers may have trouble digesting a two-and-a- half-hour epic more in the tradition of Thucydides than De Mille. Read more

Gene Seymour, Newsday: Even with panoramic scenery and well-orchestrated bloodbaths, the movie suffers from gaps, mostly in its emotional core. Read more

Jack Mathews, New York Daily News: Yukol has spread a huge canvas, gloriously costumed and photographed, but the staging and acting are often awkward and the saga is simply too dense for good drama. Read more

Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel: It is overlong, overproduced, overscaled and crammed with too many plots, subplots and digressions. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: People who think they couldn't possibly become nerve racked over the fate of 16th-century Thailand are in for a surprise. Read more

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Read more

Ray Conlogue, Globe and Mail: A film that is stunning to watch. Read more

Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star: Heavy on pageant and incident but light on character and motivation. Read more

Michael Atkinson, Village Voice: Lovely, large, and tedious, subscribing blindly to storybook stereotypes (this warrior is brave, this prince is noble, this consort is evil) and acted, for the most part, in a passionless monotone. Read more