Review of Bigga Than Ben (2008) by Rebecca J — 30 Aug 2009

I'm not going to insult everyone's intelligence and so yes I only bought it because Ben Barnes was in it... had he not been I probably never would have seen it either. So to start off where is most important Ben Barnes delivered on his promise that's for sure. Barnes is obviously a very talented young actor with a gift for accents, he's as gorgeous as ever and his choice here shows he's an actor unafraid to try the less charming and the more challenging.

It's a film challenging to be a part of and it's fairly challenging just to watch, feels a lot like a student film to be honest, one with a lot of ambition. It has a lot of ambition, trying some very big shots, the effect of the style though is a very recognizable environment. London becomes a protagonist and performs very well indeed.

However flaws do lie in the screenplay, the ending is slightly inconclusive, I am still not sure if the characters are redeemed or not! Too much is said and much too quickly, disorientating cuts really didn't add much to the pace of the already too fast film and like I said previously by the end you're not even sure what it was meaning to make you feel. Maybe we have an unbiased film on our hands here then that doesn't actually lead you anywhere and forces us to make up our own minds, in which case it's genius!

But the people behind this film must be going far because there is so much in this that is good! It's a very funny film at times, charming even, slightly romantic as well as being extremely dark, complex and disturbing. The comparison with Trainspotting makes a lot of sense and I should expect someone like Danny Boyle to notice his great influence is emerging from the younger generation of film makers.

This will not be Ben Barnes' finest hour because if he can do this then there's more to expect from him. However it's a good start to a real career as a real actor and I anticipate watching the rest of his career soar!

RJ.