Capsule review: There Will Be Blood

Stephanie Zacharek's reviews typically annoy me, but I feel like she's more or less right about this one. All the individual pieces of the movie are immaculate: the cinematography is stunning, the score is eerie, and Day Lewis acts his ass off. But as far as I'm concerned, the parts never really cohere into a meaningful whole. I think the main problem is that, imposing though Plainview is, he remains a cypher throughout. Is he supposed to be losing his humanity? There's no way to really tell, because there's just no window into his character. But if there's not SOMETHING going on in his head, then what's the point of all this? Because there sure isn't any dramatic development anywhere else. Without the audience having any real idea of who he's supposed to be, the gruesome, over-the-top final scene--impressive in and of itself--just feels like it comes out of nowhere. You--or I, at any rate--am left wondering: okay. And your point is...? The whole thing feels like a joke without a punchline.