Saw it today: Worth the wait...mostly

Finally, the wait is over! For Australians at least.

I'd been hotly anticipating this since first hearing of the shoot and casting rumours a couple of years ago (or more?), yet remained only cautiously optimistic after the disappointing To The Wonder.

Gladly, I can say it wasn't a let down. I found it much more enjoyable than TTW, yet not reaching the lofty heights of the regard in which I hold each of Malick's other films. Technically, its predictably brilliant. The cinematography, performances and dialogue are all of the quality we've come to expect from Malick.

It's simply brought down by the fact that the paper thin plot covers such well trodden ground. Rich, successful man realises the emptiness of his lavish life of excess and decadence. Searches for meaning and hopes to create some significance surrounding his existence. And frankly there's not much else to it. Now we all know not to expect a conventional plot structure from Malick, but none of the events of this film carried any of the thematic profundity that makes his other films great and, at times, even transcendent.

An improvement from TTW but not quite a return to form.