Review of Magnolia (1999) by Luke M — 18 Jul 2014

Magnolia's opening scene is absolutely fascinating, but the rest of the movie is nowhere near as gripping. A series of convoluted, interconnecting storylines makes for very confusing watching, and it is very surprising that a three hour film could leave so many questions unanswered and so many characters neglected.

The soundtrack is often so loud that it muffles much of the important dialogue, and the cinematography is unusual because it often focuses away from the actor's brilliant work. That being said, the acting in Magnolia is its real highlight - Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Julianne Moore and John C Reilly give knockout performances, but Tom Cruise is the master on screen, his mesmerising performance is impossible to look away from.