Review of Vox Lux (2018) by Moviemitch96 — 13 Dec 2018

This film follows a young teen girl named Celeste (played by Raffey Cassidy in the first half,who also ends up playing her daughter, and then in the second half as an adult by Natalie Portman), who survives a school shooting and goes on to write and perform a song to pay tribute to the victims, propelling her to stardom in the process.

The film looked rather intriguing to me based on the trailers, and Portman's always been one of my favorite actresses. While the film certainly has a lot to say and provides some interesting social commentary on the price of celebrity and fame, unfortunately, the film ended up being mostly just flashy and colorful with an ultimately underwhelming and straightforward story, not to mention an abrupt ending that doesn't really satisfy.

Furthermore, it honestly became more difficult to sympathize with the character of Celeste once Portman started playing her in the second half, since the character becomes a snob and a bratty diva, which I understand was the point, but that didn't make it necessarily enjoyable to sit through, though I will give Portman credit for playing the part rather well and really dazzling in many moments, particularly towards the end of the film.

Jude Law is also worthwhile in his supporting role as Celeste's manager, and Willem Dafoe even narrates a handful of scenes throughout the film. Overall, it's a colorful spectacle with a side of social commentary on celeb status and capitalizing on fame through whatever means necessary, but it ultimately just felt underwhelming and maybe even a little pretentious to me at times, which disappoints me considering how intrigued I was by this film and it's premise initially, and how much I like Natalie Portman usually.