samuelcbishop

Here we have a good example of story telling. The characters are presented in a such a way you can't help but feel empathy for their poor conditions. The characters don't really grow however, they aren't shown at any point to have progressed or have learnt anything, meaning they weren't really used to their full empathetic potential. The cinematography is rather beautiful, and keeps the story moving elegantly. But did it deserve the oscar? No. 1917 ticks every single box. It's enthralling, it's unique, the characters develop, and at the end you're left speechless. At the end of this, I didn't feel much. I'm glad it won the oscar, foreign films deserve high praise and are often overlooked, but i'd watch 1917 again and again and still feel as emotional and captivated, is that not what a best picture is supposed to achieve?

The first Jack Reacher had everything. A cool plot that kept you on the edge of your seat combined with good dialogue and character growth. This film completely makes the 'franchise' take a big step back, so would be enough for Tom Cruise and his wallet to 'never go back'. If the word predictable applied to any film, i'm sure Film Schools would use this as an example. I sat watching, predicting the next line. You can tell when things come up that they're be relevant later, it's so in your face. The characters have no appeal, the direction is bland, Cruise becomes boring and the film doesn't feel like the first at all. I would put it in the same category as the Mummy- uses the star power to sell tickets and cuts over script and any real thrill. If you want a good action movie with a thrilling plot, maybe look at a proper franchise like Taken, Die Hard, and not an attempt to keep Tom Cruise relevant outside of another action franchise on its last legs. 6/10

I was fortunate enough to see the premiere of this film at the London Film Festival, and went in with no prior knowledge of the story or the characters, and was blown away by the impact this film has. Each actor suited their role perfectly, with Sam Claffin adding a smooth, sophisticated yet equally mysterious spin on the title character, Toby Jones adding fantastic one-liner humour to give the script more depth, and the other characters making the film's narrative put you on the edge of your seat. Usually I brush over war films, as I find the production and aesthetic quite similar. However, this film left me with lots of powerful thoughts and I am grateful to be one of the first to see it! Its now clear to see that this was based on a play, as the majority of the scenes were shot within the same set, with the focus on the characters' progression and the narrative as a whole, but this really worked! This is a film I highly recommend seeing- superb acting, released at a fitting time (its release being 100 years after the end of WW1), beautiful cinematography, a powerful script, and so much more! I will be seeing this again at the next given chance. So stop watching these big Hollywood remakes, be ready to be lost in the charm of this war film, and witness something quite special, that will hit you hard!- Sam Bishop