It begins promisingly enough. It opens with Martin Luther's (Joseph Fiennes) sudden conversion to religion when he fulfils a vow to join a monastery that he made to St. Anne while standing in a field surrounded by striking lightening bolts. Formerly a student of law, he finds it difficult to accept the scriptures and the words of his 'superiors' without question. A task made even more difficult by the corruptness of the Catholic Church during this period of history. The selling of Indulgences (paying the church so much gold for a guarantee of less time to be spent in purgatory for you or a loved one) was particularly repugnant to him. His disgust eventually leads him to post a list of complaints against the Church onto the door of his local church. This angers the upper hierarchy of the Church and makes Luther a hero of the German people, who are tired of paying taxes to a foreign power.

This first half of the movie is entertaining and interesting. Luther is shown as a troubled, and doubting man, who is sincerely trying to find a faith he can understand and share with others. The political machinations of the Pope and his cardinals, along with those of the German princes, are intriguing. Yet, after this halfway point, the movie begins to lose its way a little.

Perhaps it's because the historical events and repercussions of Luther's actions from the first half of the movie are so wide and varied that it would be impossible for their full consequences to be shown in one movie, that the movie begins to meander and wander without focus throughout its last half. It also becomes increasingly difficult to believe Luther would be unaware of the effects his teachings would have upon the people and the violence that would be the result of their taking action, as he is portrayed in this movie.

The manner of speaking in the movie also wears on you as the movie progresses. I'm sure that Luther, an orator, was given to making long-winded speeches filled with flowery prose, but after an hour and a half, I was longing to hear someone speak just simple English. Let me give you an example of the dialogue so that you may appreciate what I mean (and keep in mind, I'm paraphrasing from memory). “Sirs, if we were to recant than the comet of our faith would shatter into a million fragments against a blackened sky." If Luther's purpose was to bring religion to the masses by translating scripture into everyday language, than couldn't he have spoken that way as well?

While my interest waned in the plot by its end, the movie is consistently beautiful to look at throughout its length. The castles, churches, and monasteries are all gorgeously done with great detail, as are the costumes. Unfortunately, sets, costumes, and cinematography do not add up to a great movie.

A little tighter, and a little more focused on just the beginnings of Luther's remarkable life, and I would have enjoyed this movie more. As it stands, it is an interesting, if not outright entertaining, look at a cinematically neglected historical figure.

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