chrisroberts-5

Wow. Catastrophic failure has its new definition. Star Trek fandom waited years for this mess. There is absolutely no plot. The acting is atrocious. The cinematography is the worst filming ever done. The Irish stereotyping is offensive. The overall story is idiotic. The characters are... just indescribably horrendous with zero depth, zero intelligence, zero realism. They aren't even good enough to be caricatures making fun of Star Trek. The characterizations makes it impossible to care about anything in the story (I mean, if there actually was a story). As an cumulative work, Section 31 is painfully boring. I was hoping that it would end within three minutes of it beginning. Michelle Yeoh is utterly wasted; she must be so embarrassed to have been contractually obligated to participate in something so dreadful. The other actors have absolutely no talent that I can detect. They are so bad, that I think they deserve this. Section 31 is a completely pointless waste of your time. If this is what Star Trek has descended to, then it is dead. An absolute zero out of five/ten/whatever.

Nick Hoult, JK Simmons, and Toni Collette do really good work in this courtroom drama. I'm predisposed to liking all three, and they don't let the material down. The story is intriguing and told in a way that keeps your attention right to the end. I enjoy the cerebral-ness of the jury debates. It's not all perfect; there are a couple of gaping plot points that we're just supposed to accept even though they are entirely ridiculous (Hoult's character's lawyer's advice for starters), and the ending is quite frustrating, but if it's raining outside and you want a little suspenseful drama, this should do. It's a moderate thumbs up from me.

Steve Carell is one of the most versatile actors working today. He's excellent in this, bringing dramatic presence and belief. I'm not a fan of Chalamet and have yet to understand Hollywood's fascination with him, but he's also good here, very realistically portraying a young drug addict. This is one of Maura Tierney's better roles as well. It's a well-told story of the impact drug abuse has on family members. It's not a cheery film that makes you feel good inside, but it does get you thinking. I don't have many down-points to highlight, except that given the subject matter, it doesn't move at the greatest pace. It's a worthwhile watch and a meaningful film. Probably a bit painful if these issues have touched on your own life, but it might also offer some perspective. Definitely worth your time.