This 2009 British film is a movie adaptation of Oscar Wilde's only novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. It stars Ben Barnes in the main role. Dorian Gray is a naive, young gentleman who arrives in London because he is heir to his [cruel] grandfather's estate. Upon seeing him, society artist Basil Hallward decides to paint him in order to capture the youthfulness he sees in the young man. A corrupt lord, Henry Wotton, befriends Dorian and notes, upon seeing the finished picture, that the portrait will remain the same while Dorian ages. He teases him about bartering his soul to the devil in exchange for eternal youth. Dorian wishes this to be true, and so the story unfolds.
Ah, another book-to-movie adaptation. I'm not pleased. I find the acting a bit awkward and I have this urge to laugh whenever Ben Barnes cries or suddenly wakes up. But his gorgeous face is really right for the role. He looks innocent and faultless just like the book character. Despite all this, his true nature hides behind this pretty face (or, rather, hides in a portrait hidden in his attic). Colin Firth is a good actor, as always. Rachel Hurd Wood (she plays Sibyl Vane) turned out to be a pretty lady. :)
The film is boring at the beginning and I find the first 45 minutes to be very "slow." It's dragging in a sort of way. It's quite different from the book. I think the inclusion of Alan Campbell's role in the murder would add more horror to it. However, Henry Wotton's character is a sure winner. Colin Firth, I think, really captured the role of a corrupt lord who influences a naive gentleman to take on a hedonistic lifestyle while he himself is afraid to partake in it. He saved the film, I should think.
The scenes wherein Dorian delves into a hedonistic (pleasure-seeking) lifestyle are too many. I find it extremely gross. There also isn't much portrayal of the kind Dorian Gray, therefore the audience cannot rightly compare his light and dark sides.
The character of Emily Wotton is a good addition and Rebecca Hall is a fine actress. :)
All in all, Dorian Gray is a dark film that shows us that there are two sides [always] to a gamble; in this case, beauty or youth comes with a very huge [and strange] price. It's not a completely horrific adaptation nor is it good. It's just okay.
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