Review of Meet Joe Black (1998) by Sean F — 03 Jan 2010

I'll be a little biased and say that the concept of the Grim Reaper has always be fascinating for me, because the reaper is fearsome yet inevitable, powerful yet mysterious, wise but so silent, so when a piece of media decides to represent him/her, I always want to see what that representation it. That said, lets get my one complaint out of the way:

Wow. This movie is long. It feels long too. Not longer than it actually it, but by the end of the movie, you're aware that you've been sitting a long long time. Now, as far as the quality of the movie goes, it's probably better that you feel like you've spent a long time with the characters of this movie, because by the end of the film, you feel sad because you know of what (supposedly) is inevitable to come for certain characters and you hope for something of a good ending.

Anthony Hopkins' character is easily one of the best parts about this movie, he has that classic charm about him and acts both as responsible business man and loving father, yet he shows his fears in very mature manners, never overreacting and characters in other movies might do in similar situations.

Death in this movie is a little strange for me. Before even appearing, he's speaks with such a confident and fearsome manner of speech that it gets you excited for his actions throughout the movie, but then he actually appears and at first, he's just so awkward. I know death is meant to be mysterious, but in this version, he acts alot like a curious child, but then again, that's the point of the film, Death learning about the ways of earth. It just feels weird after getting such a big introduction only to have him standing around, looking confused at various things.

The final 30 minutes is spectacular. Heart-warming, moving, and complete with all the loose ends tied up, ending the film on a more happy note. Overall, it's a good film. Just be sure, you're ready to sit for about 3 hours when you watch it.