If you have read the novel, you would see that the story itself is simply too grand and intricate for a 2-hour movie to do it justice. A mimi-series would have been a better option. I understand that the director must have made her best efforts making the most of the original plot, but the head-scratching omission of some original plots (all cellar sequences, Tom's backstory and expeditions, etc) and addition of typical Hollywood tropes are truly too hard to stomach for someone who has been deeply devoted to the book, despite Bullock's outstanding performance.