Ok, I know I'm a little late, but I just got around to watching Steven Spielberg's Munich on DVD. I didn't really intend to write anything about it; I just wanted to see the film that I'd heard so much hype about.

Before I weigh-in, let me mention that when this movie first came out last year, I immediately remembered a movie I'd seen years ago about the same subject called Sword of Gideon, which debuted on HBO and wasn't in theaters. I figured Munich must be slightly different.

Umm... no.

Turns out, both films are based on the same novel called Vengeance by George Jonas, about a team of Mossad agents sent to hunt down the terrorists behind the 1972 massacre at the Munich Olympics. Munich (the movie) is, at best, a remake of Gideon, and in my opinion, not that much better.

Can anyone tell me how this film was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar? I'm truly stumped. I know it's Steven Spielberg, but not everything he does is great. Does anyone remember 1941? Or War of the Worlds for that matter?

The setup is too brief, there's almost no action, the few action sequences we do get are lame, and none of the characters are ever really developed except Eric Bana's "Avner."

The one and only great thing about this film, as far as I'm concerned, is the recreation of the actual Munich massacre. This Speilberg does brilliantly, poignantly and passionately.

If you want to know more about what happened at the Munich Olympics in 1972, do yourself a favor and rent One Day in September. It's an excellent documentary by Kevin Macdonald, and narrated by Michael Douglas. Not only will you learn about this terrible and tragic event in history, but it will give you additional perspective on today's conflicts in the Middle East.

Back to Munich the movie, for those who haven't seen it, there are a few bright spots. Geoffrey Rush is terrific as a Mossad handler. The next James Bond, Daniel Craig, delivers a strong if underplayed performance. And Michael Lonsdale (who you may remember as the villain Drax from Moonraker) is the secret gem of this film.

Bottom line: I liked Munich. But Best Picture? For now, I'll just give it "Best Remake."

Ethan Morris -- "Not always right, but never in doubt."

Ethan is a freelance writer who loves to tell people what he thinks about movies, DVDs and TV -- even when they don't want to hear about it (just ask his friends!). Ethan contributes to Film.com five times a week..

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