Review of Darkest Hour (2017) by Andrew J — 22 Aug 2018
Strengths: Gary Oldman (Winston Churchill) won basically every award for his performance in this movie. It makes sense. It wasn't my favorite performance of the year, but it's pretty great. He captivates each time he's on the screen and he carries this thing on his back. Joe Wright is able to get the best of him and some of the other cast members. Lily James (Elizabeth Layton) was her usual great self and gave my favorite supporting performance. In a film like this, the scenes need to be tense and these mostly hit that mark.
Weaknesses: This is the definition of a movie that is considered great for the performance of its lead actor. I've seen a few like this. The movie isn't bad and though the scenes are tense, there's not a ton of suspense. Again, it's a problem I've come to see with some true stories. It's the same with this. A lot of the scenes just come across as boring and don't connect in the way that you'd hope. It's especially disappointing when you consider Oldman's work. It comes across as a waste.
Overall: It's not a bad movie, it's just a flawed one. I didn't write a ton because it boils down to to things. The greatness of Gary Oldman, and the dullness of the rest of the script. While it's good, it's not a movie I'd watch again.
This review of Darkest Hour (2017) was written by Andrew J on 22 Aug 2018.
Darkest Hour has generally received very positive reviews.
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