I will not try to make sense of the poems in the small space given here, but the movie is a real gem.

I will humbly admit I had no previous knowledge of this poem or of Ginsberg, or the beat generation. And there were times when I find myself almost drifting off to sleep. But I'm glad I stayed awake because once I adjusted to its experimental and indulgent nature and its maddening but thought--provoking visuals, I ended up really liking it. I may not have totally understood the poem itself, but I think I understood the intentions and yearnings of Ginsberg when he wrote it.

Deeply flawed but nice effort interspersing reenactments of Ginsberg interviews, the Howl obscenity trial, and animation set to the voice of James Franco reading Howl as G. You can tell the real record is used for the trial's text because it's realistically rugged, but the actors, though good ones, ham it up a bit. Franco, who studied poetry, understands and imitates G well but fails to completely embody. Still, the interview parts are the most interesting thanks to the thoughts G expresses.

This is not James Francos' best

Doesn't work at all as a character study, with Ginsberg himself the only character explored to any degree (and even then not to great detail), & the supporting cast bearly a footnote in the pages of this movie. What "Howl" is however, is an intriguing exploration of the poem itself, and at 80 minutes long, it seems that that was all it was ever trying to be. Franco is impressive, dodgy facial hair aside, and both the animation & courtroom sections of the movie are at the very least thoughtful.

It's a strange one, for sure, but marvellous with it -- as much a piece of literary criticism as it is a movie in the standard sense, it does a great job of not only bringing the poem to life but also setting it into its proper context, helped by an excellent cast and an engaging script.

The purpose of this film was essentially to trick the audience into having a poem read to them. Which isn't a bad thing at all. I actually found it illuminating. I feel like I understand Howl a little bit better now. I didn't think that the court scenes stopped the action or anything like that. I found them fairly interesting.

The animation and the atmosphere of the reading of the poem make this film. The courtroom scenes are the backbone.

Franco gives a great performance and while I definitely see where doctor7 is coming from about the visuals, I respectfully disagree. I see the visuals as a nice touch, but also, it's the film's creators interpretation of the film. Sometimes I ignored the visuals and listened to the words, other times I paid a little more attention to the visuals. I could be biased though in all this considering I enjoy the Beats and I also write.

Curious and fascinating, while making sense of the time period when every word was subject to scrutiny by the conservative elite. I'm so glad we no longer live in such a patriarchal society...

The visual spectacle of Howl presented through the film is interesting but at the same time it actually detracts from one's enjoyment of the poem preventing a personal interpretation and instead provides a solidified visual experience. James Franco is indeed miscast as Ginsberg and his beard is laughably false looking rivalling some of the worst wigs. While the supporting cast does considerably better none of the characters are fleshed out enough to care about.

Franco is horrifically miscast, the animation is wonky, see doctor7's review.

"Like the counterculture icon that penned the poem that serves as the title to Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman's film, Howl is one odd bird." - Lauren Wissot

James Franco's now tiresome androgyny (so soon?) asks for wink-nod approval of Ginsberg's hero status without adequately delineating Ginsberg's personality or the emotional tensions of the late-'50s era.

Pretty good performance from Franco. The atmospheres in the poem visualisation scenes make this movie.

The score reflects how the film was presented. The cartoons were cheesy, and while the cast was extremely impressive, James Franco seemed out of place.

James Franco proves that he is one of the best actors working today. This guy is phenomenal and turns everything he gets his hands on into acting gold. He brings the poem Howl to life and he brings Allen Ginsbergs to life. Solid film, the artistic feel was beautiful, and the animation to represent the poem added the final touch that propelled this film to masterpiece. Franco is legit and watch out for him, I see Oscar in his future.

the case should be good but he didn't have to be gay, but it seems the best line of movies which should be drama, Jews or Gays must be involved, bring back the outsiders or dances with wolves.

The story of Ginsberg's magnificent poem "Howl" is a great genre blender of both fiction film, documentrary and animation. If you dont know just a little about the beat generation, or happen to be at the movie with someone who does, this might be a little weird. None the less I found it intriguing and educational, cause the trial against the poem (yes it sounds strange) and the verdict, is somewhat a milestone in the whole freedom of speech evolvement, at least on the US. Look out for the beard!

its fictional merit is questionable, but as a film, celebrating art on the borderline between fiction and facts, it holds significant value. It's in animating the poem, combined with Francos voice-over, that makes the film an accomplishment - as a biopic and as a visualization of the poem. The courtroom scenes are bit flat.

Don't come expecting traditional movie, because Howl is documentary as much as it is a movie. Interviews, court records and even poem are recreated with actors and even animation. Narrative flow is very good and the given back story helps understanding Ginsberg's poem. I actually never even heard of Ginsberg before, so for me everything was new and interesting.