Instruct: Classify Amazon reviews into positive or negative sentiment
Query: falls short of what it could have been

Ralph Fiennes is one of my favorite actors. Juliette Binoche is one of my favorite actresses. I really enjoyed Ondaatje's novel. Why then, is this movie so dull? Perhaps it suffers from trying to stick too closely to the half of the novel it tries to depict. Perhaps there is just a lack of chemistry between the actors (Defoe in particular lacks a necessary dangerousness). I don't know. I just know that I do not care for this movie. I suggest that you read the novel instead. Don't write off Ondaatje's work just because of this lifeless (though critically acclaimed) motion picture.