jgeorge4

There is a lot to love about "Death By Lightning".

The Good: 1. Just the fact they chose to explore this slice of history is extremely commendable. Far too often historical fiction goes down the same tired roads (WW2, Civil War, Tudors, etc.) so it was nice to see something a little obscure. 2. Matthew Macfayden's performance was fantastic. 3. The depiction of Garfield as one of American history's good guys was very well done.

The Bad: 1. The F bombs. Utterly ridiculous. That word wasn't used in that manner in that era, and its constant use was unnecessary and jarring. It's like the writers and directors were very concerned a 2025 audience would get bored unless Conkling sounded like Tony Soprano. 2. Arthur's depiction. Way over the top. Portrayed as a drunken, low-IQ, profane, vomiting, barroom brawler, which is obviously not the case. 3. Gratuitous sex scene. The catching of the congressman "in flagrante delicto" was needless and revolting. This should have been a historical series families could appreciate together, but once again, someone clearly believed no one would watch this without f bombs and kinky sex. 4. The portrayal of Conkling was one-dimensional and excessive.

Overall, a recommended watch despite its flaws. Thank you for exploring a chapter of history most Americans are unfamiliar with.

I really had high hopes for this movie. Finally, I thought, Hollywood can take a step back from their incessant superhero schlock and do something genuinely creative and genuinely entertaining. And it seemed to be getting good reviews!

Within the first thirty minutes, however, it becomes apparent this is a very drab, tedious affair. Somehow they managed to turn Willy Wonka into a joyless tale. If anything, it seemed to be slipping into "Les Miz" territory, and I was kind of hoping Olivia Colman might just go ahead and belt out "Master of the House."

One of the few redeeming qualities is Hugh Grant as a sophisticated Oompa-Loompa. Aside from that, the supporting characters are horrible, the music instantly forgettable, and the plot is muddled and tedious, pulling at your emotions with tales of dead mothers and orphans rather than merry Wonkaesque mayhem.

For Pete's sake, they were handed the keys to create Willy Wonka's origin story and they couldn't even make it watchable.

Hollywood, just give up.