Masters Dissertation Research: Darkest Hour (2018)

This biopic tells the story of Winston Churchill during his time as Prime Minister at the time of the Second World War. It's a time period and topic that I have always found very interesting, however, it is very politically grounded and can be a little confusing at times.

If you ask my mother what the plot of this films is, she wouldn't be able to tell you. In fact, it got to a point where I was the only one of the three people watching that was actually awake, and I've had to put this down to the slow pace, as the acting and cinematography was absolutely magnificent. As I've stated before, this film is very set in politics, and to those who were expecting something more dramatic it was somewhat disappointing and, to some, quite boring. This is not to say it isn't a good movie, because it is, but rather that it is a bit of a niche that most people may not enjoy.

In terms of acting, Gary Oldman's transition into Churchill is the most impressive one I have seen. Not only did he look incredibly close to the real thing, but he nailed the body language and diction in a way that was sort of surprising. I didn't expect much when he was announced as the lead, but now that I've seen it I couldn't imagine anyone else playing it better.

Personally, I'm in the boat that it's a good film, but not a great one. The plot drags on with little pay off, and though this is realistic to the story I would have wanted to see more of a pull for people who aren't quite so politically-minded.