Definitely not boring and like most other games it really depends on what kind of gamer you are...
Although I had a fairly good idea of what The Movies was all about, based on the tracking information here on GameSpot, I still didn't really know what to expect.
Well, the answer to that question was simple from the very first moment I installed this game - I'm addicted.
I guess nobody can say that Lionhead studios go for mundane re-makes of old stuff by simply adding souped up graphics and new audio tracks to old ideas. Based on two of their latest releases namely Black and White 2 and The Movies, I suspect it's safe to say that the guys over there at Lionhead studios are very innovative and really put a lot of effort into the overall quality of their productions.
The Movies is quite revolutionary in most respects and from my perspective it's hard to really describe the perfect genre fit for this game.
It's really a mix between a bit of The Sims 2 as far as characters, interactions, etc. is concerned and a lot of the "Tycoon" style games. What really makes it stand out from an innovative perspective though, is obviously the setting - which I don't think has really been dealt with before - and the amazing way in which the guys at Lionhead approached the movie-making part of the game.
As far as the original GameSpot review is concerned, I have to differ somewhat though, in the sense that I do actually see the "integration" between the movie-making aspect and other aspects of the gameplay. The ability to create custom movie scripts is actually quite well integrated into the eventual outcome and "success" as far as the end product is concerned which in turn will have significant impact on any "award quests", studio rating and star ratings as a result.
In this sense, there is quite a bit of "integration" between the various facets of the game as far as I am concerned. Then again, some guys may just want to make movies for the sheer fun of it, in which case the Sandbox mode will actually do the job.
Overall the graphics are really cool except for the fact that characters have this funny "floating" walking and running style which is rather weird looking from a human kinetics perspective at times.
The audio is also cool although the background "DJ chatter" can become a bit annoying when you start a new game for the umteenth time.
The user interface incorporates quite a few concepts that Lionhead seems to have "invented" for Black and White 2. This includes the "information bubble" concept and the ability to pick up characters as they are moving around the place - almost exactly like Black and White 2 in fact. In general I find this approach quite cool and it seems to work for me as far as overall efficiency and just pure "fun value" is concerned.
To summarize:
If you are a serious strategy gamer who enjoys games that take a while to get going and really require some planning and thought to succeed, then you can't go wrong with this one. Making movies in between all the empire building is also great and sometimes it just makes for a good change after some fairly intricate "tycooning".
If you are not a strategy type of gamer, it's probably best to stay away from this one.
As far as my own preferences are concerned, I can safely say that this is my new favorite game.