Anna and the King

Elaborately produced and spectacularly designed, with a rich score, a large cast and a worthy intent, Anna and The King is a fabulous eyeful. Foster is excellent as Anna, her performance slightly mannered especially with the delivery of her English accent. ... Full Review

Dialogue is also rendered well, and the surround gets a decent enough workout with fx in the rear channels. Just say the word "Siam" and it no doubt invokes an image in peoples imaginations, one of a lush exotic nation, maybe the image of Yul Bryner in The King and I or Chow Yun Fat in Anna and the King , but as far as the history of Thailand, I'd be willing to bet most people don't have a glimmer of a clue. ... Full Review

Again, this is a very good-looking movie (kudos to ace cinematographer Caleb Deschanel and the production design team). That said, "Anna and the King" is a stylish, well-shot piece, and it benefits greatly from the performances of its very talented cast. ... Full Review

And even though sparks fly between the somewhat headstrong schoolmarm and the proud monarch at first, in time they come to respect and care for each other (but not in a romantic way). That said, "Anna and the King" is a stylish, well-shot piece, and it benefits greatly from the performances of its very talented cast. ... Full Review

More flat and disappointing in a wasted opportunity kind of way than anything truly bad, the problem with "Anna and the King" is that it's caught halfway between then and now. Audiences may be less understanding, and though Anna eventually loosens up a bit, the film has pretty much lost us by that point. ... Full Review

Shortly after the lavish opening shot of Anna and The King --....Then, director Andy Tennant ( Ever After , Fools Rush In ) does the equivalent of the party bore who repeats a punch line:....For the next rambling two hours and 40 minutes, neither the humour nor the sentiments get much more sophisticated..... ... Full Review

What's more, the movie features two outstanding actors in the lead roles, each with a powerful (though occasionally mismatched) screen presence. He makes the most of the epic potential in this film, turning the lush countryside of Malaysia (standing in for Thailand) into a rich canvas for grand images. ... Full Review

The supporting cast in Anna and the King is also strong. And while Gong Li's The Emperor and the Assassin will, by virtue of its subtitles, miss a large audience, Chow Yun-Fat could finally get the American success he deserves with his turn in Anna and the King . ... Full Review

All this, however, turned out to be an added bonus for Tennant, who was fascinated by Anna and the King long before the casting was locked in.....in its current obsession with special effects and teenage sexuality -.... ... Full Review

And since no work of art exists in a vacuum, this effort is dwarfed by that famous movie's shadow. Thus it follows that a lavish musical version in the finest Hollywood tradition is the most entertaining way to tell what is ostensibly a fairy tale. ... Full Review