Updated version of Oscar Wilde's story geared to modern sensibilities that would perhaps appeal especially to horror genre enthusiasts.. . It seemed more or less conventional period piece for awhile but about 40 minutes in, an event occurred that nearly killed the whole thing for me. But the acting was so good I stayed.

The blood, gore, and sex had to be endured, but thankfully these and other lurid elements were dished out in fairly short segments. The portrait did not merely become besmirched with the increasing decadence of the eponymous anti-hero, it exuded vermin that fell writhing to the floor, to name one example. Purists might want to take on a pass on this but if they like good acting they might reconsider. Ben Barnes (Dorian Gray) appears almost callow at the outset but that perhaps to reflect his early innocence. But he loses that rather quickly and becomes perfectly believable with an appearance Oscar would have approved of.

Ben Chaplin (Basil Hallward) very good. The epigrams are often thought of as breezy, mirthful witticisms, delivered perhaps with hauteur but Colin Firth's (Lord Henry Wotton) are stern and brisk, intoned as if to be something to be remembered for the next quiz, highly entertaining and still (if not more) amusing. Dorian learns them well (as we know). Colin Firth is a versatile actor and I like him especially in this vein, the aristocratic bearing with the air of authority and sophistication, not to be messed with. A wonderful screen presence. The star of the show (for me).

DORIAN GRAY suffers from the same problems as other recent adaptations of Victorian-era novels (I'm thinking the 2011 BBC dramatisation of GREAT EXPECTATIONS): it looks great, but in the screenwriters's attempts to present relevant themes and concerns to modern day viewers, it loses something in the execution. The result is more often than not a production in which the actors look like they're playing dress up while there's no real heart involved.

I've never read The Picture of Dorian Gray, but the central conceit – about a man whose portrait ages but not himself – is a great one. This adaptation is ho-hum, and that's because we don't care about any of the characters involved. The anti-hero Gray is played by Ben Barnes, who was fine as the square-jawed youthful hero of PRINCE CASPIAN but who really struggles to find depth in the part – any male model would have done the same job. Colin Firth is more interesting as an amoral creep, although he's largely detestable. The only character I really liked was Ben Chaplin, and he gets far too little screen time.

There are other familiar faces in the cast – not least Fiona Shaw, Maryam d'Abo and Emilia Fox – but they get lost amid a welter of repetitive sex scenes designed to show the central character's descent into moral depravity. Unfortunately, with the overly long running time, the sex bits are repetitive in the extreme and the film goes nowhere with them. The movie is far too Hollywood friendly to ever be really shocking, and the late-in-the-day attempts to make amends just don't hold water (and neither does Rebecca Hall's anachronistic suffragette). It all ends in a CGI bubble of silliness, and you're left wishing for a proper adaptation with real bite.

Dorian Gray (Ben Barnes) is a young naive man arriving in Victorian London to live in his newly inherited mansion. Artist Basil Hallward (Ben Chaplin) befriends the newcomer. The cold-hearted Lord Henry Wotton (Colin Firth) leads him astray especially from his love of sweet young actress Sibyl Vane (Rachel Hurd-Wood). Basil paints him a portrait and he proclaims a deal for his soul.

This is a cold stiff unimaginative movie. Ben Barnes is barely a pretty picture but he is certainly not much more. His character is not interesting enough to be compelling. The movie has no excitement and barely any tension. It limps along with as little drama as possible. Colin Firth plays with so much anger in his eyes that I find none of it appealing. If he was charming, then I could see the appeal. Everything in this movie moves at a tired pace. It is moderately watchable... barely. There are problems inherit in the story. Sibyl Vane comes and goes so quickly that their love feels superficial. The relationship doesn't have any time to develop. Rebecca Hall has slightly better chemistry as Emily Wotton. Her character is slightly more complex and most importantly has more time. Overall, the movie just isn't very interesting.