Film Reviews by SE

This is a film that all pro critics seem to love and filmgoers just don't.  Maybe because it is so different to mainstream films.  And it does have things going for it.  The fact that it hints at things deeply buried and makes so little overt is tantalising.  Or extremely annoying depending on your POV.

For me, I would say the clue to the quality of the film lies in the fact that this is a first work.  Charlotte Wells has produced a good piece of work but there are things about it that I would guess she won't be doing with more experience.  One is the longueurs.  Just as it is not good to portray boredom by being boring, so it is not good to to portray languorous time by being too languorous.  Another thing is the visually irritating special effects to convey time passing or memories.  When directors insist on doing this kind of thing, I just have to look away until it passes!

Great performances from the leads though. 

It's not at all obvious why the setting of the film has been moved to Nantucket instead of its original location of France (in the book it was based on). Not is it obvious why the love interest is Cuban. To locate it in time, there is the backdrop of the Civil War. Also not clear what that brings to the mix apart from helping to fix the period and location. A little. There are some good performances and at least one terrible one.

Passes the time.

If you are squeamish, do not watch this docu-diary.  It pulls no punches and shows things that conventional documentaries and newsreels wouldn't dare.  But despite the desperate conditions endured, the human spirit shines through, and so there is hope.  There is also courage and resilience.  It will probably anger you to see "mans's inhumanity to man".  Or it should.

Enjoyable film with a recognisable plot and characters but without the subtleties of Austen herself.

I thought I liked wacky, off the wall, artistic stuff but this was a bridge too far. It's point was beyond me. I especially couldn't understand the somewhat robotic sales assistant who appeared to be speaking in tongues. I'll admit there were some great comedy turns and some wonderfullly lugubrious filming. Maybe you just have to love it for that and stop trying to see a message.

What was I thinking? I really enjoy things that are a bit quirky and off the wall but this was so far off the wall you wouldn't know there had been a wall at all.

My wife lasted 5 minutes before being annoyed by the interminable opening sequence. I stuck it out until there was something approaching normal dialogue, but I quickly became frustrated. I skipped forward to see if it would get any better. It didn't. In the end I ejected it and put it down to experience.

They say if you don't enjoy a book in the first 50 pages, give up. Perhaps you can also say that if you don't enjoy a film in the first quarter of an hour, give up. I don't think I give up easily and manage to keep watching things long after my wife has thrown in the towel. Sometimes, it's worth it but mostly I end up using up a couple of hours of my life pointlessly. Well, not this time!

The really unusual thing about this film is the way that it appears to be filmed almost in real time and with continuous action. No annoying jump cuts or flashes forward or back. And you can't help wondering how it was done. You never see any camera tracks. If someone was holding a steadycam, they would have needed assistants making sure they didn't bump into things or fall over, not least because they would have been walking backwards much of the time!

The storyline is quite basic and appears to have been told, or fashioned out of reminiscences provided by, Sam Mendes' grandfather. You don't get to know much about any character and the big name actors are barely used. Benedict Cumberbatch isn't even mentioned in the actor list here!

Like most biopics, this one follows a chronological order in terms of story line. But the music doesn't. This might bother those who grew up with the music but it has been done to suit the song to the life stage and probably does help illuminate it.

Taron Egerton is a very good singer. In fact, whisper it, he may be a better singer than Elton, whilst nevertheless sounding a lot like him. He actually looks more like the young Bernie Taupin.

If it weren't for the use of the music, this would be a very ho-hum film, not really delving that deep into motivations or influences. You sense that the relationship between EJ and Taupin has hidden depths completely unexplored here, perhaps in deference to both men. And maybe that is fine whilst both are alive.

In short, if you like Elton's music, you will probably like the film, but if you don't...

The concept of the film is a bit bonkers but once you have swallowed it, you can lie back and enjoy the meaningless but enjoyable ride.

Himesh Patel is an engaging actor and a pretty good singer too. Lily James is of course great eye candy but doesn't bring much of weight to the production.

A good summer relaxation, escapist, feelgood film with no danger of ever having to engage your brain or plumb the depths of your emotions.