No substantive discussions on this movie yet??

Don't spoil it ditship.

I’m about half way through it. Seems a little derivative of the Searchers. It’s pretty neutral in terms of the socio-political message. A lot of bleak exhausted characters and a little bit of the trope of “European settlers are evil exploiters.” But it also has several scenes suggesting post-bellum Southern charity and kindness for the helpless or suffering.

It was a pretty solid movie. It's well-acted, boasts beautiful scenery, features a standout action sequence, and has a number of effective emotional moments. I'm a huge fan of Westerns, so this was always going to be up my alley. But I kind of wish it was directed by someone like, say, Scott Cooper, who demonstrated an amazing eye for visuals and pacing in the Western genre with Hostiles. I've never been a fan of Paul Greengrass, who seems more comfortable with frantic action thrillers than a more deliberately paced adventure drama such as this. I can almost feel him straining to keep from resorting to his shaky cam style throughout this film.

(spoiler) I'm with the original poster. Agreed on all points. Especially the end scene smile. :) Went to see it in the theater tonight. Love Tom Hanks, seemed like it would be a sweet and sad story (that it was) so I felt like since the movie was going to actually be in the theater I should see it there and show support even though I wasn't overly aware of what to expect. Loved it aside from the animal gruesomeness. :( :( Sweet, charming story - I wish I had caught the name of the actor who said "I like your stories" because for me that went a long way toward saving the story when he had his moment of clarity that then was another path for him and he saved the day! His part was so good...it was nice to see a genuine, engaging smile rather than a lecherous one from a supporting character. I'm not sure why he didn't come back for the happy ending (but alas, that would be probably be a complaint to take up with the book author) other than they wanted to make the point that he needed to create his own story. Oh, another stand out moment for me was Johanna's first taste of coffee. "It's an acquired taste." LOL.

Yes, as some reviews have said a little slow...BUT oddly charming with the two characters growing so much together. It's the little things (singing songs, learning languages, finding inventive ways to save the other's life, ya know little things like that ;)) that matter most. Just goes to show you don't have to be blood to be family.💕Aside from the aforementioned gruesomeness my only major complaint is how they underused Hanks's reading...I could probably easily watch two hours of him reading the news and watching the crowd react!! Priceless scenes.