Beginning this latest batch of Oscar contenders, is Angelina Jolie's first notable film as director. She has directed a feature and a documentary in the past. But it has not been publicised enough to be recognised within the mainstream crowd. It tells the story of Olympic hero and WWII soldier Louis Zamperini.
This has been a big project for Jolie for some time and has taken great pride in making sure of creating something that will captivate audiences around the world.
I personally know almost nothing on Zamperini's story apart knowing his name of Olympic history.
What I saw was another inspiring story during WWII, and I do not entirely mean that in a bad way. I'm saying it because it is a hard genre to stand out in. There have been thousands of war films over the years and you can only remember a certain amount.
The films open up nicely and gives us an impactful tone. As the film goes on you start to understand his triumphs and tough situation that has been given to him. The rest of the first half amazed me in terms of being shocked at what happened in this story. As for the second half, it seemed to be unsure of itself in terms of where to go next.
The story structure and pace is perfectly fine. But like I said previously, war films really need to stand out. This did that in bits, but sadly not enough for me to consider as a certified classic let alone an awards contender.
The best part of the film is definitely Jack O'Connell's performance as Zamperini. He really shows off his character. You feel, sympathise and certainly get inspired by him. His character has enough of a rebellious side that you can easily relate to.
There are enough minor roles that are worth mentioning. Takamasa Ishihara has a great presence and on-screen relationship with O'Connell. Domhnall Gleesson, Garrett Hedlund, Finn Wittrock gives us nice variety. There is also a nice surprise in Jai Courtney who usually disappoints and has become massively over-rated. Thankfully, Jolie shows us his potential and that now gives me hope in the new Terminator film that he stars in.
Sadly, everything else felt pretty satisfactory and nothing outstanding. The several performances was its biggest positive. However, it's lack of groundbreaking moments made this feel a bit too generic.
It all felt like something that I have seen before, and it has been done better. I still had an enjoyable experience. It is a really touching story and has very likeable characters. Sadly, I felt Jolie was concentrating too much on one part of the story and not the full story that others are expecting.
Unbroken manages to pass as a pretty solid film. The story is interesting and makes you want to find more about it. But I can see this being lost within the awards mix and the many other classic stories within its genre.
Rating: 7/10
No comments:
Post a Comment