Plot summary (with spoilers): Dorian Gray (played by Ben Barnes) is a naive young man when he arrives in London to take over a vast family estate upon the death of his grandfather. Dorian is introduced to high society soon after his arrival, and is befriended by Lord Henry Wotton (Colin Firth), a man whose entire life centers on enjoying all the worldly pleasures at his disposal. From Lord Henry, Dorian learns to smoke, drink, and chase women — much to the chagrin of mutual friend Basil Hallward (Ben Chaplin), an artist who paints a stunning portrait of Dorian as a gift to his new chum. Upon seeing how beautiful and perfect he looks in the picture, Dorian says that he would give anything, even his soul, to remain that way forever.

The more Dorian hangs around Lord Henry, the more his personality changes. He goes from being a nice, idealistic young man to a hardhearted profligate who thinks nothing of crushing the hopes, dreams, and expectations of others. This change manifests itself most clearly when Dorian casts aside an actress named Sybil Vane (Rachel Hurd-Wood), whom he had fallen in love with and proposed to. As soon as Lord Henry hears the news, he disapproves, and convinces Dorian that marriage and children will mark the end of his carefree life. Dorian coldly dumps Sybil, who drowns herself in the Thames that same night.

Dorian feels some genuine remorse for what happened, but soon recovers himself and carries on with his hedonistic lifestyle. He notices, however, that his portrait is no longer perfect after the death of Sybil: there now appear to be bloodstains on his hands. Upset by what this might mean, Dorian has the portrait removed from his sitting room and stored under lock and key in the attic.

From there, Dorian sinks into a life of complete debauchery and dissolution. He participates in orgies, drinks, takes drugs, and keeps looking for more pleasures. Such habits would take a physical toll on other men, but Dorian looks just as beautiful and unmarred as the day he arrived in London. His portrait, however, bears the true marks of this lifestyle, turning more grotesque and distorted by the day. Indeed, when Basil demands to see the portrait and forces himself into the attic, Dorian has no choice but to kill the man in order to preserve his secret.

Dorian leaves England after Basil’s murder and travels the continent. He returns a full 20 years later to find Lord Henry and the rest of his former companions gray and aged. Dorian looks exactly the same, which arouses Lord Henry’s suspicions. Forget about reading olay regenerist reviews or buying other anti-aging products; just make a deal with the devil like Dorian did! Lord Henry is pushed into action when Dorian sets his sights on Lord Henry’s own daughter, and events come to a head in front of the picture of Dorian Gray up in the attic.

My Reaction: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde is one of my favorite novellas. I first read it for English Lit in high school, and recall it being such a page-turner that I stayed up all night to finish it. While this movie wasn’t quite the edge-of-your-seat experience that the book was, I felt it was a solid adaptation.

I thought the performances by Ben Barnes and Colin Firth were particularly strong. This is very much a character-driven film, so casting choices were important here. I think Barnes captured the open-eyed naivete very well in the first few scenes, and his transformation into a total profligate was believable. Firth was equally convincing as a jaded society man who understood the need for going through the motions of marriage and children without giving up the pleasures he longed for.

I could have done with fewer orgy scenes, however. It got to be rather tiresome seeing Dorian in the same situations over and over again. Yes, we get that he likes sex with women, men, and anything that breathes. Can we move on now? How about showing more glimpses of the portrait’s degeneration — and Dorian’s reactions — instead?

Overall, I thought this latest adaptation of Dorian Gray was worth watching. The performances by the leads are very good, and the script remains true enough to the original to at least be recognizable in a number of places. I give this film 3 stars out of 5.