GamerTab That was an excellent one.

UnowPriceless hyped garbage

Bumpy Chip It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

talkstock2me-1 At best this movie is a pastiche of clichés. When there's no useful examination of motivations, simply substitute long glances into the near distance and play some maudlin electronic music. By and large the performances make do with this grotesquely awful material - but mostly it's a stinking mess. One example: The scene of a phone call between the "bad" guy and the "hero" features the bad dude listening to music... hmmm.. what type of music does every director play to indicate the character is very very smart - but evil? Of course! Classical music! Sure it's a little jarring competing with the rest of the ethno/electro soundtrack... but gosh darn it - dat villain is pure evil's I tell ya- PURE EVIL! ANd HEY! wouldn't ya know? - he's also somewhat effeminate! Yeh - I bet they'vee never had an effeminate, conniving villain - let's make him that way! zzzzzzzzzzzz.....Only thing missing from this "villian" was the British accent and a constantly stroked white cat. Seriously though - this movie was *BAD* for all the wrong reasons. Just steaming dreck. Stay away from this lump.

katie8283 I was excited when I happened to catch The Chocolate War on TV a few years back. I had read the book and loved it, so was interested to see whether the film version would live up to the novel. For the most part, it was pretty good, but I was disappointed that the ending had been changed significantly from the book. The film's conclusion, in my opinion, lacks the punch of the original and wimps out by giving Jerry a happier (if not exactly happy) ending. The conclusion is why I love Robert Cormier's novel so much. It was the antithesis of a happy, Hollywood ending in every conceivable way--the bad guy wins, the good guy wishes he had given up. I found the brutal honesty refreshing. It's not so much that the film gives the good guy a happy ending, although it does leave him infinitely better off than the novel, but that it gives the bad guy the punishment he deserves. I feel the conclusion was the most important part of the story, and the changes in the film make it feel anti-climactic and fall flat.

faithmbc Pretty good movie. I have this taped off TMC, and the book is great. At the Trinity all-boys Catholic high school, there is a secret society of Seniors called the Vigils that like to hand out special assignments to the other students. The Vigils and the power-hungry Brother Leon are what make Trinity a rotten school. When the annual chocolate sale approaches, everyone participates, except Freshman Jerry Renault. This kind of sparks a conflict everyday when Brother Leon will call the names to see how many boxes each kid has sold, and Jerry always says no. He stands up to Brother Leon, Archie, and the school bully, Emile Janza. I was neither impressed or disappointed by the ending, which was very different from the books. *********out of**********. Rated R for Violence and Language.

mcrow This movie actually surpasses the original novel, because of amazing performances by John Glover (Smallville) as Brother Leon and Wallace Langham (Veronica's Closet) as Archie Costello. While typically labeled an 80's "Coming of Age" film, this is not a feel good teen movie like "Dead Poet's Society" or "The Breakfast Club." This is a dark story about human cruelty and manipulation, no more "Coming of Age" than "Donny Darko."Director/screenwriter Keith Gordon attempted to moralize the ending...a mistake from an artistic standpoint, but probably wise, considering the audience (American public). Consequently, most viewers are confused, rather than angry, with the outcome of the movie. Just another example of a masterpiece too realistic and uncomfortable for mass consumption.