Written & Directed By Steve McQueen; Starring Elliot Heffernan, Saoirse Ronan, Harris Dickinson, Benjamin Clementine, Kathy Burke, Paul Weller, and Stephen Graham.
Blitz is set in London during World War II. The story follows George (Elliot Heffernan), a young biracial boy who is supposed to be sent away to evacuate the city amidst the Blitz. But defiantly, he instead goes on a journey to return to his mother, Rita (Saoirse Ronan), only to find himself in immense peril. This is the latest from Steve McQueen, director of 12 Years a Slave, not the star of The Great Escape.
As director, McQueen pulls off a well made picture. There’s several realistic sequences of war that come across as effective. Yorick Le Saux’s cinematography is astonishing. Hans Zimmer composed such a soaring musical score. The overall sound work is incredible. As someone who only caught this on Apple TV+ instead of theaters, I must say that the whole thing still came off great. Even if Peter Sciberras’ editing does get a little confusing with the non-linear narrative.
As writer, McQueen crafts a fairly simple premise. It’s not always investing at times. Most of the characters don’t make much of an impression. The two main protagonists definitely fare the best. Elliot Heffernan gives a very sincere performance as George. He really makes you care for him as he goes on his journey. There’s also this plot point in the second half that reminded me a bit of Oliver Twist. Meanwhile, Saoirse Ronan is luminous as Rita. You not only feel for her throughout, but she also offers a pretty decent singing voice in a few scenes. Their relationship really is the heart and soul of the film.
As a World War II epic, Blitz is nothing groundbreaking. Although that’s not necessarily a bad thing. As a movie, it doesn’t work entirely. Although when it does, it works quite well. If you ask me, I found it to be a solid survival story that’s also very heartfelt. While not a must see, I do think it is worth watching nonetheless. This film is currently available to stream on Apple TV+.
Rating: 3.5/5
Blitz is set in London during World War II. The story follows George (Elliot Heffernan), a young biracial boy who is supposed to be sent away to evacuate the city amidst the Blitz. But defiantly, he instead goes on a journey to return to his mother, Rita (Saoirse Ronan), only to find himself in immense peril. This is the latest from Steve McQueen, director of 12 Years a Slave, not the star of The Great Escape.
As director, McQueen pulls off a well made picture. There’s several realistic sequences of war that come across as effective. Yorick Le Saux’s cinematography is astonishing. Hans Zimmer composed such a soaring musical score. The overall sound work is incredible. As someone who only caught this on Apple TV+ instead of theaters, I must say that the whole thing still came off great. Even if Peter Sciberras’ editing does get a little confusing with the non-linear narrative.
As writer, McQueen crafts a fairly simple premise. It’s not always investing at times. Most of the characters don’t make much of an impression. The two main protagonists definitely fare the best. Elliot Heffernan gives a very sincere performance as George. He really makes you care for him as he goes on his journey. There’s also this plot point in the second half that reminded me a bit of Oliver Twist. Meanwhile, Saoirse Ronan is luminous as Rita. You not only feel for her throughout, but she also offers a pretty decent singing voice in a few scenes. Their relationship really is the heart and soul of the film.
As a World War II epic, Blitz is nothing groundbreaking. Although that’s not necessarily a bad thing. As a movie, it doesn’t work entirely. Although when it does, it works quite well. If you ask me, I found it to be a solid survival story that’s also very heartfelt. While not a must see, I do think it is worth watching nonetheless. This film is currently available to stream on Apple TV+.
Rating: 3.5/5