Watched it this weekend. It is a magnificant effort. the makeup effects is soooo good. it's very convincing and didn't take me out of the movie. The story is also well woven although on first viewing i wasn't able to get the whole story. The vfx is really great and the concepts quite consistent and believable.

Tom hanks and Halle Berry really carry the movie on their shoulders and they are really good. I mean i actually mistook Tom Hanks for Channing Tatum in the poster doind the rounds!!. He's really good as the gladiator look alike.

Overall, really great effort on all fronts. It's one of those movie one needs to watch alone in a quite room.

Can't say if i liked it or was bored by it's 3hr runtime!! but i'd say that i didn't hate it. Which is more than i can say for many recent releases.

Would like to read the book, for the narration is one of the highlights in this humungous celluloid effort.