MGSG4381

Gosling plays somebody ... a guy... well we don't really know anything about him. We don't know why he's in prison. We learn it late in the movie but by that time we don't care that much. It's not important to the character growth. There is no character growth.

The MacGuffin does not feel so crucial or interesting. I couldn't even tell you what it's all about.

The action scenes make no sense, are ludicrous and because we don't care about Gosling's character, we don't really care how the action goes.

The one thing that I enjoyed a bit more was Chris Evans' character, Lloyd, his extreme douchiness and how over the top he his. But I would have needed much more of that to actually enjoy the movie.

Although I rather enjoyed the first two episodes, I feel like the creators of the series have to juggle with so many balls at the same time that it's hard to be free to create a truly great story. They have to kind at all times what is canon about Obi-Wan, the Jedi, the whole universe as it has been created, and they have to try to fill in the plot holes as plausibly as possible. It ends up being a game of cinematic Tetris instead of a chance to really explore a character in a whole new and revealing way. That's why I think the Mandalorian did so good, as it was loosely connected to the world of Star Wars but didn't attach too closely to any well known story (except the part with Luke Skywalker but even that was kept to a small part of the story). Obi-Wan won't get the same chance of exploring fresh new ground. Still, within those constraints and despite the compulsive need to cater to the rabid fan base with lots of cameos and Easter eggs, I think it wasn't a bad start and I'll watch the whole thing.

I really was looking forward to seeing this movie and I quite enjoy it, although I had to switch my suspension of disbelief willingly at many different moments. When you know how much research Rostand put into his characters and the era that the play is set in, you can't really believe that it just came to him by accident as he stumbles on a courageous cafe owner, a mask from commedia dell'arte or a cute little theatre helper. The shortcuts to creation make for a movie with a fast pace but that has very little to do with historical reality. Still, Thomas Solivérès is charming and Olivier Gourmet steals every scene he's in, Leeb as Volny is just the right amount of cockiness and Mathilde Seigner is great too! I had a harder time believing in Lucie Boujenah's Jeanne, maybe because the quasi love story feels forced and there's no real chemistry between her and neither of the two men concerned. You can still see the movie for the pleasure of the recreation of the ambiance in a theatre troop preparing for a play that's not even written and is opening in a few weeks... but if you have to choose, you'll do much better with the Cyrano movie with Gerard Depardieu, a real masterpiece.