THE FALL - ****

The Fall is a breathtaking visual epic from Tarsem, last seen applying his inspired eye to serial killer schlock in The Cell six years ago. This new movie tells the story of four legendary warriors who, along with Charles Darwin for some reason, together seek revenge on the evil governor who has wronged them all. This plot is given the look of an exotic legend, filmed in shimmering deserts, azure lagoons, labyrinthine cities, and majestic palaces, with the most original costumes I've seen since, well, The Cell. Several times the movie left me in wide-eyed awe at its sheer beauty.

But there's more. The plot I've described is just the story within the story, told by a despondent bedridden patient to a young girl in exchange for purloined morphine. These hospital scenes are also staged and shot about as well as can be, but obviously can't compete with the visual splendour of the globetrotting storyline. The audience is certain to share the child's impatience with our reluctant raconteur.

The Fall works perfectly on its own terms, but after The Cell's Hollywood formula and this film's silly and arbitrary bedtime story, I'd love to see Tarsem tackle a story we can take wholly seriously. When the jaw-dropping spectacle of the warriors in the desert is undermined by a cute kid's commentary, yes, it's funny, but it's also kind of a shame.