"The Last Emperor": Overhyped Opulence or Actually Good?

Okay, so I finally caved and watched "The Last Emperor". Everyone keeps raving about it, calling it an epic, blah blah blah. Look, it's visually stunning, no doubt. Bertolucci definitely knew how to shoot a palace. The costumes? Insane. But did it move me? Eh. Honestly, I felt pretty detached the whole time. Maybe it's just me, but I found Pu Yi kind of… underwhelming as a character. Like, boo hoo, you were a kid emperor, then a puppet, then brainwashed by the communists. Where's the agency? Where's the fire? I'm not saying I wanted him to be Genghis Khan 2.0, but something! And don't even get me started on the runtime! Nearly three hours? Come on. There were definitely scenes they could have trimmed. I mean, did we really need another shot of the Forbidden City's golden rooftops? I get it, it's pretty. But after the tenth time, it's just visual wallpaper. I think they were so focused on the spectacle that they forgot to give us a real connection to the characters. That being said, I did find the prison scenes somewhat compelling, especially the dynamic with the warden (played by Ying Ruocheng). It's the most interesting turn for Puyi in the whole thing. But even still, it all felt a bit… sanitised? Like they glossed over some of the more uncomfortable truths of the era. Basically, I wasn't blown away and am wondering, am I missing something? Everyone treats this thing like it's Citizen Kane in imperial robes, but I just thought it was alright. Maybe I'm just a Philistine. But if you also thought it was merely 'good', not 'great,' let me know I'm not alone in this movie opinion purgatory.