As a massive fan of the book and someone who enjoyed the film and think it was excellent, my reservations about it boil down to the fact that Denis' directing s

As a massive fan of the book and someone who enjoyed the film and think it was excellent, my reservations about it boil down to the fact that Denis' directing style feels somewhat restrained compared to his previous films. My impression watching it for the first time was that the film was very fast-paced and as a result felt as though it was glossing over the lore. I chalk this up to the fact that the film has a LOT of narrative ground to cover, and even at 2.5 hours long the film could've still run for much longer. In my estimation what we end up missing as a result of this economy in storytelling is the feeling of "living" in the scene. There are few, if any, opportunities for the film to slow down and allow the viewer to immerse themselves in the gravity of each scene. What's missing is the opportunity for the viewer to reflect upon the information they are receiving and to figure things out as the characters are figuring them out, or before they do. There is little in the way of quiet moments that allow the viewer to process and come to certain realizations themselves. Unfortunately this is not a luxury that this movie is able to provide without making for a very long film. That said, I still love it.