Oscar Season is in full swing, and there’s plenty of contenders loitering about the cinemas, both good and bad. Atonement is a film that has strong Oscar prospects, from its early glowing reviews, as well as being an adaptation of Ian McEwan’s acclaimed novel of the same name. But is it an English Patient, epic and deserving of awards, or another A Beautiful Mind, overrated and regretted?

Set over the course of several decades, the story starts in 1930s England, where a young girl, Briony, gets involved in the love life of her older sister, Cecelia. Briony’s crush on the local boy, Robbie, causes her to misinterpret certain events, eventually leading to a mistake that affects the lives of those involved forever. The film leaps to the early 40’s, where Robbie is a private in the midst of World War II, while Cecelia and Briony have become nurses, the latter trying to come to terms with her decision by writing about it.

Atonement is a film that really wants to consider itself as something great. It attempts to be family drama, war story, and tragedy. It’s most successful part is the first, the tale of little Briony’s jealousy, a cautionary tale warning against obsession, an immature sense of superiority, and sexual ignorance. But it’s nothing new.

The film falls flat on its face when it attempts to deal with the war. There’s one scene in which the camera tracks along a French beach crowded with drunken and desolate soldiers awaiting their ship home. It’s one long take, and probably cost more to shoot than I will make in my lifetime. The scene is supposed to be a moving moment encapsulating the misery and tragedy of war. But in being a single take, its draw attention to itself, suggesting a self-referential coolness like Goodfellas’ famous tracking scene, and ultimately detracting from the intended tragedy.

Director Joe Wright, who made the well-received Pride and Prejudice, does attempt to make the script come alive. The most notable addition is having the music integrated with the characters- a mournful war ballad follows Robbie, and Briony’s “theme tune” is permeated by the clacks of a typewriter, acting as an incessant and almost self-righteous beat. But there are times where the narrative jumps perspective. I don’t know if this is how the novel portrays it, but this technique feel like a superfluous attempt to display the precarious nature of “truth” and to perhaps understand our flawed narrator’s perspective. The only problem is that a straightforward narrative would have pretty much the same effect.

And as for the acting, James McAvoy is once again proving that he lack the on-screen presence to make a lasting impression. Keira Knightly just pouts for most of the film, a problem the originates from her character rather than her abilities. The only real talent is Saoirse Ronan as the younger Briony, but she doesn’t have the time to truly shine.

Ultimately, Atonement is a deeply flawed movie. It tries to have the makings of a great epic, sweeping scores, beautiful cinematograph, all perfectly portraying a moving tragedy. But in its obsession with trying to look like a classic, it simply doesn’t feel like one. The narrative is poor, and the story really doesn’t feel particularly innovative. Sure, there’s an occasional upsetting or emotional moment, but there’s too much lacking in this tale to truly distinguish itself.