Dorian Gray

A film based on a classic Oscar Wilde tale, that, it seems, is almost completely different to the book itself. So, we can say it's loosely based, or just used the title and the whole painting business, and filled the rest in with sex, drugs and rock and roll. Well, rock and roll is going a bit fair. But, sex and drugs take up three quarters of this movie to substitute the rock and roll.

I'm sure you all know the story. A man aptly named Dorian Gray travels to London to go back to his house. A painter paints Gray's "beautiful" face, as called many times during the film, and hangs it up in Gray's home. But, this picture is one of mystery and wonder. A painting that ages, rather than Gray himself. It's more a story of how things can get into a man's head doing many stupid things along the way, thinking he's absolutely invincible to everything, but in the end, this is his downfall. A plot so familiar, we don't realise that Oscar Wilde was the first to write such a story.

Ben Barnes plays Gray, the star of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, in a role that is completely different to the Prince. A sex, drugs and alcohol addict, hell-bent on sleeping with every woman in London. Cue many pointlessly short scenes involving Gray having sex with a girl, Gray having sex with a group of girls, Gray having sex with both men and women, and Gray having sex with a mother and daughter. At least, I think that's what I saw. Over and over again. Oh, and there's even a short gay scene too, for good measure.

On the plus side, the film is visually stunning, with the incredibly designed Victorian London houses, and the stark colour contrasts from scene to scene - when we first see Gray's signs of madness, it is in his dark, mysterious house living room, scratching at the painting, and the next, a very bright, blue scene in another of London's many upper class Victorian houses, and the next, Gray is walking through a dark, dingy back street, looking for a prostitute to satisfy one of his many needs. This continued through the whole film, and it was something that struck me throughout the film.

However, the film was far too long. The story could easily have been told in 90 minutes, but the film stretched closer to the 120 minute mark, with half an hour of sex and drug scenes. The film's predictable ending was one of no surprise, and what should have been a powerful final scene to end on, the film suddenly shoots to another scene, in which Henry (Colin Firth) is on the phone, and says something about Agatha. God knows who Agatha is, but the scene remains.

4.6/10.