I’m going to have to admit my bias up front. I think Chloe Moretz is a solid actress. My review of the film is somewhat colored by that. It is colored in the sense that I think she puts on an average performance and that is still enough to raise the quality of the film for me. Not enough, however.
The thing about teen action/drama films is it is always about a girl caught between the affections of two guys (see: Hunger Games, City of Bones, Twilight, etc.). This book does that and the movie follows in lock step, though it removes a great deal of the character development that sells the triangle. Everything in the film happens faster and more compressed than in the book yet the movie still manages to feel long.
That is until the totally unbelievable ending.
The holes in the plot and story resolution are legitimate; so much so that a treatment by Akiva Goldsman couldn’t patch them up. The end of the film remains rushed, forced, and fails to resolve much of anything. This is even more evident on the large screen, because the movie cuts out several key character development scenes that lend a shade of credibility to the end of the film. I get it though. These are good scenes but they wouldn’t fit with the movie story they were telling.
Some Thoughts:
- Sarah Palin’s endorsement/introduction of Donald Trump in Ames, IA might be the greatest comedic moment in politics that wasn’t intended to be funny at all.
- I don’t know the true story behind ‘Our Finest Hour’ but It seems very strange. A cargo ship goes down and they send a very small boat to rescue 60 sailors?
- Youth Tackle football is more of an ego dance than flag. By ego dance I mean it is about the parents more than the kids. I wish I was totally removed from that inclination, but I’m part of it too.