Made for the 500th anniversary of Columbus’ expedition and European discovery of the Americas, 1492: Conquest of Paradise reconstructs those events in the form of traditional, old-fashioned historical epic. Gerard Depardieu plays famous (and nowadays controversial) Italian explorer, while the plot chronicles his attempts to find money and sponsors for his famous mission, his voyage, first contacts with natives in the New World and its aftermath, including disastrous events that wrecked his governorship of newly established Spanish colonies. Directed by Ridley Scott, known better for the style than content of his films, 1492 suffers from poor script that tries to stuff too many events into single feature films, with great stars like Sigourney Weaver and Marlon Brando reduced to glorified cameos. The only things that lifts this film is an excellent musical score by Vangelis.
RATING: 6/10
