Atonement stars James McAvoy and Keira Knightly as two lovers, along with two actresses who play a sister who affects the outcome of their lives when she accuses the young man of a crime he didn't commit. The audience is given the point of view of the couple as well as the young Briony, who all live on a large estate in England in the 1940s. A hot summer's day leads to a tragic series of events, and we follow the characters as they emerge from their seclusion and into the realities of the second World War.

This movie is very stylish, and I think that's what appeals to the critics so much. The direction by Joe Wright, the good acting (not particularly award-worthy, in my opinion), and the smartly written script for the beginning of the film easily draw a viewer in. I think it's the disjointed feeling of the movie that leaves me a bit confused as to how much I liked it. From the estate to the war, and to the meeting of the three main characters, as well as the giant jump forward through time, it feels like a novel that got adapted well overall, but lacking in connecting the various "acts" of the story.

The scene that made the biggest impact on me had nothing at all to do with the dynamics between any of the main characters. It shows McAvoy's character, Robbie, who has been in the war, arriving to the French shore at the scene of the British troops' preparations for retreat. The beach is filled with all kinds of scenes, and this entire segment is filmed in one shot, from what I can tell. Robbie walks along the beach, and the camera follows past soldiers in various activities, from crying to fighting to singing to drinking. The shot feels like it lasts an incredibly long time, and the longer it went, the more impressed I was. It was a snapshot of a sort of moment in history, summing up all of the emotions and activities of the military men in one long swoop, and coupled with the music, it was the best part of the movie.

In a way, that makes the movie less appealing to me, because the best scene didn't have to do with the main plot. But in another, it's just a wonderful scene added to a very immaculately filmed movie.

Speaking of music, I'm still on the fence about the typewriter sounds being inserted as percussion for the main score. Besides that, I thought the music was very effective and had me sold in the first few minutes.

When I left the movie, I was still brooding over the ending and whether or not I liked it. Now, looking back at it, I appreciate it a lot. While the couple's relationship was developed more from sexual tension than from actual emotional development, the movie was still able to convince me that their love was genuine and that their separation during the war was tragic. And the development of Briony's character was more than I expected, and a dimension of the movie that made it worthwhile.

I can't necessarily recommend Atonement to just anybody, because the entire plot revolves around the use of a very foul word. Otherwise, it would be good for any adult audience, so long as that adult audience enjoys tragic British love storeis set in the countryside and on the war front during WWII. The more it ruminates in my head, the more I like this movie, although it did seem slightly empty despite its attempts to explore Briony's soul towards the latter half of the film. Perhaps that was just a case of too little too late; but even with its flaws, Atonement was one of the better movies of the year. It might make it into the top ten, just maybe.

Holy crap, if this rumor is true I will freak out. It makes sense since Rare is owned by Microsoft. I spent many hours playing multiplayer Goldeneye. I can't begin to imagine what it would be like on Live.