Review of Evita (2009) by Jon T — 13 Sep 2014

Aside from the controversial rock musical JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, another one of composer Andrew Lloyd Webber's biggest staples on Broadway was this biographical musical about the First Lady of Argentina.

It's not a particularly flattering portrayal of the character, either. In fact it's a rather controversial one, which is understandable considering that some could see her actions as manipulative and self-serving while others still see her as an influential figure in Argentina.

Arguably the real star of this film version, however, is not necessarily Madonna as the title character (although she DOES do an excellent job), but rather Antonio Banderas, who gives both the best performance and arguably makes the movie worth my highest rating.

As the film's narrator Che (who takes a very negative side with Evita from the get go), Banderas sings with robust energy and charisma, bringing a genuinely likable presence to an otherwise grim and heavy movie.

Any scene where he unexpectedly pops up is a delight. Even if you may find the story difficult to follow at times (the film is shot intentionally as a music video with lots of quick cuts showing imagery that can be jarring at times), Bandera's performance and Lloyd Webber's legendary score is what makes EVITA.

The music may seem schizophrenic to some viewers, though, because, like the film's MTV style, the score bounces back and forth from lilting Latin chorals to Spanish waltzes and, perhaps most incongruously, rock and roll.

But all this is Webber's style of writing, for EVITA is, after all, a rock opera. Musicals like this are very rare to find today, and if you're a fan of such material, EVITA could well worth be checking out.