Early word on 'Invictus'

I think "politely respectful" might be the best way to describe the first reviews of Clint Eastwood's Invictus, a movie that, for the past several months, has been hyped by many pundits and prognosticators as sure-fire Oscar-bait. Were those predictions -- many of them issued even before Eastwood actually began filming on location in South Africa -- premature? Well, tell me what you think after reading this, this and this.