Chapter 27 - the new film about John Lennon's assassination - has been branded an insult to the music legend's memory. J.P. Schaefer's movie - which depicts the former Beatles' murder in 1980 by deranged fan Mark David Chapman - premiered at the Sundance festival on Tuesday after allegedly being rejected by other film festivals.

Fox News reporter Roger Friedman saw the movie and has blasted Schaefer for tarnishing Lennon's memory. Friedman said: "J.P. Schaefer has managed to kill Lennon again. He's also made a boring, un-releasable movie that no one will ever see. Most of the audience struggled to remain awake during the film's lethargic 90 minutes."

Friedman brands Jared Leto's performance as Chapman as "inert", claiming the "once promising" actor "plays Chapman as a blob in tinted sunglasses".

He also accuses Chapter 27 of plagiarising J.D. Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye, from which the movie takes its name. Chapman was carrying the 1951 book - which tackles such themes as the portrayal of sexuality, teenage angst and alienation - when he was arrested immediately after shooting Lennon and referred to the 27th chapter when police interviewed him.

Lindsay Lohan also appears in the film and Friedman claims she is wasted as a Beatles fan with a minor role in the film. He said: "She's better off in rehab than wasting her talents on this junk.