STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful
In a futuristic America, under the rule of a fascist president (Nick Offerman), which has descended into chaos and destruction, a group of frontline war photographers, including Lee (Kirsten Dunst) and Joel (Wagner Moura), brave a mission to travel to DC, to speak to the president, who is facing an insurrection. Lee is apprehensive about taking Jessie (Callie Spaeney), a young wannabe journalist, along after she blags her way in, but as they reach their destination, they all learn lessons about themselves.
Writer/director Alex Garland's new film has arrived with some highly positive word of mouth, but what's most notable, as others have already mentioned, is how misrepresented the film has been in its promotion, advertised as a standard sci-fi action film, when in fact it's a much deeper and more psychological analysis of a group of people on the frontline, and the shattering impact it takes on them collectively, as they perform their essential duties in the midst of such a hellish landscape. And though it takes a while to make an impression, ultimately it's a highly successful and worthwhile effort.
In a film that doesn't form with any sort of clearly defined plot line, at first it's just the central characters we are given to invest in. Dunst, easily the most high profile of the main cast, has a commanding presence as the seasoned reporter, whose sense of entitlement is clear in an early scene as she rests her feet on a hotel table, charged with overseeing a younger charge who really looks about twelve. As the film progresses, the pair form an interesting dynamic, as Lee explains how their job is simply to take the picture and let the viewer decide if something right or wrong is happening, while Jessie retorts, asking her if she'd take a picture of her getting killed if it happened? This kind of moral distinction makes for an interesting and compelling script that really guides things along. In the other supporting roles, Moura is impassioned and intense as Lee's colleague, whilst Offerman's president is ambiguous, never actually saying anything, and so not clearly an allusion to Donald Trump.
If you can overcome the initial misleading promotion of the film, you're in for something genuinely original, thought provoking and relevant, with echoes of Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket, and even more modern films like Jarhead. Highly recommended. ****
In a futuristic America, under the rule of a fascist president (Nick Offerman), which has descended into chaos and destruction, a group of frontline war photographers, including Lee (Kirsten Dunst) and Joel (Wagner Moura), brave a mission to travel to DC, to speak to the president, who is facing an insurrection. Lee is apprehensive about taking Jessie (Callie Spaeney), a young wannabe journalist, along after she blags her way in, but as they reach their destination, they all learn lessons about themselves.
Writer/director Alex Garland's new film has arrived with some highly positive word of mouth, but what's most notable, as others have already mentioned, is how misrepresented the film has been in its promotion, advertised as a standard sci-fi action film, when in fact it's a much deeper and more psychological analysis of a group of people on the frontline, and the shattering impact it takes on them collectively, as they perform their essential duties in the midst of such a hellish landscape. And though it takes a while to make an impression, ultimately it's a highly successful and worthwhile effort.
In a film that doesn't form with any sort of clearly defined plot line, at first it's just the central characters we are given to invest in. Dunst, easily the most high profile of the main cast, has a commanding presence as the seasoned reporter, whose sense of entitlement is clear in an early scene as she rests her feet on a hotel table, charged with overseeing a younger charge who really looks about twelve. As the film progresses, the pair form an interesting dynamic, as Lee explains how their job is simply to take the picture and let the viewer decide if something right or wrong is happening, while Jessie retorts, asking her if she'd take a picture of her getting killed if it happened? This kind of moral distinction makes for an interesting and compelling script that really guides things along. In the other supporting roles, Moura is impassioned and intense as Lee's colleague, whilst Offerman's president is ambiguous, never actually saying anything, and so not clearly an allusion to Donald Trump.
If you can overcome the initial misleading promotion of the film, you're in for something genuinely original, thought provoking and relevant, with echoes of Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket, and even more modern films like Jarhead. Highly recommended. ****