Norman_French
Joined Nov 2023
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Reviews246
Norman_French's rating
PROS: Unusual, layered and subtle, great acting. More symbolic and tragic than it seems. Sentimental without being sappy.
CONS: Ambiguous and glacially paced -- not a good combination. The first half is especially slow (viewing on a DVR is a plus). One could edit out 5-8 minutes of footage and maintain the ponderous you-are-there vibe. I generally like slow burns with deliberate pacing, but the run-time here is excessive for the content provided.
HOW TO ENJOY: Stop reading reviews, watch (possibly with breaks), then read some of the 8-10 star reviews. This film affects people differently, and some of the most positive reviews are very insightful -- some are extremely deep. You may find yourself rewatching a few scenes -- you may find the film different the second time around.
LIGHT SPOILER: There is some conjecture about what happened to Calum. There are sufficient clues to figure this out, but pay close attention to how the final song ("Under Pressure") is combined with the visuals, and also the crucial final shot. I feel bad for (adult) Sophie, who feels bad for her father. Applying an adult lense to such key childhood memories clearly isn't fun for her.
After some much-needed reflection, I'm giving this seven (7) stars.
Addendum: Regarding the scene with Calum crying -- that happened to *my* father under analogous conditions.
CONS: Ambiguous and glacially paced -- not a good combination. The first half is especially slow (viewing on a DVR is a plus). One could edit out 5-8 minutes of footage and maintain the ponderous you-are-there vibe. I generally like slow burns with deliberate pacing, but the run-time here is excessive for the content provided.
HOW TO ENJOY: Stop reading reviews, watch (possibly with breaks), then read some of the 8-10 star reviews. This film affects people differently, and some of the most positive reviews are very insightful -- some are extremely deep. You may find yourself rewatching a few scenes -- you may find the film different the second time around.
LIGHT SPOILER: There is some conjecture about what happened to Calum. There are sufficient clues to figure this out, but pay close attention to how the final song ("Under Pressure") is combined with the visuals, and also the crucial final shot. I feel bad for (adult) Sophie, who feels bad for her father. Applying an adult lense to such key childhood memories clearly isn't fun for her.
After some much-needed reflection, I'm giving this seven (7) stars.
Addendum: Regarding the scene with Calum crying -- that happened to *my* father under analogous conditions.
This movie is so cliché-ridden that it's perversely entertaining ... if you're suitably skeptical of such by-the-numbers action flicks. If not, there's not much reason to watch unless 1) you LIKE formula entertainment, or 2) you like Daisy Ridley, who isn't bad here.
By an amazing coincidence (of which there are dozens), Ridley's character is both an unassuming high-rise window-cleaner, and ex-military. Complications ensue with her brother on the exact day the building is taken over by eco-terrorists. Luckily her autistic brother is also a computer genius. Should there be a drinking game for such contrivances?
Ridley is the centerpiece of the film and sells her character reasonably well, but the laughably derivative plot is difficult to ignore. There is exactly ONE good scene IMHO, and it involves precision shooting by a sniper that (avoiding spoilers) "gets Ridley's attention".
This is NOT a particularly good film, so I'm not sure who the target audience is. Folks who don't read reviews?
I give it four (4) stars.
By an amazing coincidence (of which there are dozens), Ridley's character is both an unassuming high-rise window-cleaner, and ex-military. Complications ensue with her brother on the exact day the building is taken over by eco-terrorists. Luckily her autistic brother is also a computer genius. Should there be a drinking game for such contrivances?
Ridley is the centerpiece of the film and sells her character reasonably well, but the laughably derivative plot is difficult to ignore. There is exactly ONE good scene IMHO, and it involves precision shooting by a sniper that (avoiding spoilers) "gets Ridley's attention".
This is NOT a particularly good film, so I'm not sure who the target audience is. Folks who don't read reviews?
I give it four (4) stars.
