Yet again we have a film with a "message". And it bored me silly. I wasn't the only one either. The cinema was only half full when the movie started; and I counted 6 people walk out; never to return. I fully understand why.
First of all I want to state that I have greatly enjoyed some of McQueen's previous work. Shame, Hunger and 12 Years a Slave are excellent movies, both from an acting and a directing standpoint. A lot of his other work falls far short, though - this movie being amongst them.
The pluses: apart from some of the CGI, the film looks beautiful. Some of the acting was stellar. And McQueen really did well with building tension in some of the scarier scenes.
The cons: ideology - AGAIN. It's so boring and repetitive now that it's become a parody of itself. I can't think of a single Hollywood production released in the last 3 years that hasn't had a lecture crowbarred into it, in order to appease an extremely small; but incredibly vocal minority of people. This is happening at the cost of the majority, though, who appear to be avoiding mainstream work in droves now - which is a pity to a movie-lover such as myself. I want Hollywood to start making interesting, challenging, original and non-preachy movies again, instead of these cookie-cutter, moralistic revisionist and erroneous lectures. Maybe then people can enjoy a trip to the cinema again.
I won't hold my breath.
