i must have seen a different film!!

Good concept, poorly executed.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

I re-watched this movie on DVD many years after seeing it in a theatre. I remembered its general plot but not the details. Contrary to the rating by 'the reel reviewers', I found the movie interesting in both its plot and in its acting. Yes, I would retain the movie for 'my collection' but also know that it may be a difficult watch for some. The violence against animals and others is disturbing and all too real for the history of our humanity, even to this day. But, there is a message of hope that makes the moment of difficult watching worthwhile to an extent. However, I ended up asking if the fairy tale ending makes this movie honest to the human nature that continues around this world. It can be a movie that should cause us to ask if we might ever start to recognize the moments when we should rise above base animal instincts to act like caring human beings, when it really matters and against the brutes who see fear as a right to exert power. Over humans or animals..

A great movie. A very touching scene, especially the last one in which Rose Rose rescues the life of Marlene. In these two hours you will have the opportunity to see suffering, anger, love. You will have the opportunity to see the pure madness of the owner of Circus Augustus, his inhuman behavior towards both humans and animals. In certain situations, tension will permeate the head of your being, and in other moments you will be relaxed.8,2/10

**** May contain strong spoilers ****This is a review made by StoneDraim... and that means that if you want to read a probably different kind of review, keep reading....This is my personal experience, my personal point of view/perspective and my personal opinion... and my opinion is just one of like 7 billions in this world.Just the innocent music and harmony of the beginning shows that this will have something to tell in a good way. Getting a little feeling of both Titanic and Big Fish, and that in a good way. An old man telling his lifes story, and that lifes story is really something else, as of in Big Fish. The novel by Sara Gruen that gives this motion picture its story has been treated in a noble way, indeed.Fascinated in seeing how the circus went on long time ago. Just seeing how those men with those sledgehammers made magic by hitting the poles into the ground quickly were entertaining, so as raising the tent. And; "First time I've seen so much manure!" Seeing all those wild animals raises the social topic about animals as entertainment at circuses; it is probably very good that the circuses is changing and that the animals keeps on being animals in the wild.To get a higher rate, the whole production and the story should have been worked on harder and been more tweaked. Now it "only" stops as a warm and cozy little flick amongst others. It could have been great, if the actors had been pushed a lot further. An "easy- going" emotion runs through "Water for elephants", and the real "feel-good" thing is sadly missed. And still; a little cozy circus spectacle.Over to the movie as a product: - The production : Amazing camera work and lighting. Just the production and timing to get that long one take inside the train is magnificent! (watch about 23 minutes into the movie). The sound gives entertaining and the music keeps this little palatable picture the framework it deserves. Special effects has gotten good attention, so that they fit both the story and the feeling of the whole film. - The actors : Christoph Waltz winning prize for best supporting actor; he is nailing this one! Just hearing his voice deliver the lines with his articulate charisma is... oh, I love that! I could listen and see him for hours! All the rest is below his special talent. Robert Pattinson is, sadly, giving this motion picture a bad feeling. I want somebody to squeeze the acting out of him, if he got acting within him... I doubt that myself. Same smile every time, same behaviour everywhere. His "youthanized" humility seems... highly overrated. With a more hefty ensemble of actors and director, this one could have scored big time. - Entertainment : Circus. Love. A story telling old man. Can that be anything? Yes, it can. - Age : 116,1 out of 10. (The final rate is based most on my own entertainment of the movie. Short elucidation of the rating: 7 Well made movie. Proper entertainment. 6 Nice production. Good movie.)

I just saw this movie, and while the costumes and environment is really nice, the movie is horrible.The acting is satisfactory, and the costumes, so how can i say its horrible. The fault in this movie or what i have particular problems with is the plot: Young handsome highly educated man nestles in and marries the acrobatic prostitute of the circus boss, because the boss is this evil man. Also to prove that he is really evil he batters a poor non-English-speaking elephant almost to death and also went on a killing spree on his employees. The boss runs amok defending his prostitute but dies by his own karmic actions. The young handsome highly educated man and his prostitute live happy forever after with kids, elephants dogs an all the other animals that survived from the circus.I have seen this plot before and it is boring. Its fake, like a Chinese Gucci bag, or better yet the Chinese Paris ghost town with their own eifeltower, it screams of fake. This could have been a wonderful movie in 1980ies when i was a child, but 2011? No.