Colin Farrell's 'Winter's Tale' Fails To Capture Magical Romance In Mythic Story

The romantic Akiva Goldsmad-directed 'Winter's Tale' made its world premiere in London on Thursday evening (Feb 13th), hoping to attract the attention of many besotted couple's one day before Valentine's Day.

Although the movie, starring Colin Farrell and Jessica Brown Findley, is a story of fantasy, the content certainly does profess to depict true love. Set in the ever so romantic city of New York, the plot follows one man's infatuation that lasts an entire century.

The film, based on Mark Helprin's 1983 novel of the same name, follows Peter Lake (Farrell), a no-good burglar who lives and robs in the early 20th century, but one day everything changes when he takes refuse in a mansion after fleeing the clutches of his ex-gang leader, Pearly Soames, (Russell Crowe).

While hiding in the grand house and with an unpaid debt hanging over his head, Lake meets a beautiful young women called Beverly Penn (Findlay), a wealthy heiress who is dying from Tuberculosis. Despite death being inevitable for Penn, Lake falls madly in love with her. While coming to terms with this, Soames is still on the thief's tail but when attempting to murder Lake, he is magically transported to modern day New York and hasn't aged a single day.

Watch the trailer for 'Winter's Tale' here

Turn to next page for the critic's reactions

But will this magical tale woe cinemagoers on the most romantic day of the year?

Peter Howell from Toronto Star doesn't think so as he blasted the film by stating, "Enduring this soppy muddle of twinkling stars, fluttering wings, refracted points of light and destiny-led swooners is like being forced to listen at length to a crazy person at a street corner read out old Hallmark greeting cards."

Chris Cabin of Slant Magaizne was equally as critical as he wrote, "Fantasy is heavily dependent on vision, which Mark Helprin had in spades, but the look of Akiva Goldsman's fantasy is limp, timid, and occasionally outright awkward."

A.0. Scott of the New York Times added, "Clumsy and inert, a lumbering white elephant rather than the flying white horse that is the novel's magical mascot."

Although the story may have been poorly executed, one thing critics do like about this new flick is the ensemble cast which includes, Jennifer Connolly, Will Smith, William Hurt and Eva Maria Saint.

But even boasting these talented actors can't seem to make 'Winter's Tale' a Valentine's Day favorite.