Dances with Wolves

I expected a lot worse from this. I expected a bloated, self-indulgent vanity project. I expected gross insensitivity to American Indians, both in their portrayal and with a white-savior storyline. I'm pleasantly surprised that it is none of that. By no means is Dances With Wolves amazing. In fact, I don't have much to say on it at all. It's good. It's well done. It's well directed. The narration is tiresome and dull, and I'm a little disappointed with how one-note the American army is at the end when everybody else is so richly drawn, and it could've been shortened by 20-30 minutes easily ... but I'm not mad about it. It's a fine, modern-style epic yarn, the love story is sweet and believable, and the cinematography is grand and luscious. I appreciate that it tells a story that cares about its characters more than romanticizing the Old West. So, yeah, good movie. Not great, but good.