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'Okja' (2017)
Directed by Bong Joon-Ho
This film has been on my watchlist for months. The little viral ad campaigns have been tantalysing and the cast / director combination absolutely mouth-watering. The movie is a combination of endearing bond between man (or girl) and animal and an ecological warning to us of how our food resources might be affected if we don’t wise up.
Firstly, the visuals and special effects are stunning. The film looks as you’d expect from a master of his craft like Bong Joon-Ho. From Korean wilderness to New York street parades, the scenes are awesome to watch unfold.
As for the performances, Seo-Hyun Ahn steals the show as the young Mija, although Tilda Swinton is her usual ridiculously good self. That’s it though, there’s a disappointing lack of other characters that shine through. I have a lot of time for Paul Dano and Jake Gyllenhall but neither really played to their strengths in this one. And Gyllenhall’s zany, neurotic character seemed out of place, as if he was in the wrong film.
The film also struggles with deciding what tone it really wants to be. It is part dystopian dysfunction, part heartwarming tearjerker, part thriller and part zany comedy. Whilst that's not a combination impossible to meld on screen I'm not sure Bong Joon Ho quite nails it as the shift from sad animal shot to crazy Gyllenhall shot sort of takes something away from each.
That said, it was an entertaining movie with a few laughs and a tear or 2, and although it didn’t quite live up to my expectations, I’d recommend it easily as one of the top films of 2017 so far.
NB: Submitting this post using this button was just weird:
If you've seen the film, you'll know what I mean.
Directed by Bong Joon-Ho
This film has been on my watchlist for months. The little viral ad campaigns have been tantalysing and the cast / director combination absolutely mouth-watering. The movie is a combination of endearing bond between man (or girl) and animal and an ecological warning to us of how our food resources might be affected if we don’t wise up.
Firstly, the visuals and special effects are stunning. The film looks as you’d expect from a master of his craft like Bong Joon-Ho. From Korean wilderness to New York street parades, the scenes are awesome to watch unfold.
As for the performances, Seo-Hyun Ahn steals the show as the young Mija, although Tilda Swinton is her usual ridiculously good self. That’s it though, there’s a disappointing lack of other characters that shine through. I have a lot of time for Paul Dano and Jake Gyllenhall but neither really played to their strengths in this one. And Gyllenhall’s zany, neurotic character seemed out of place, as if he was in the wrong film.
The film also struggles with deciding what tone it really wants to be. It is part dystopian dysfunction, part heartwarming tearjerker, part thriller and part zany comedy. Whilst that's not a combination impossible to meld on screen I'm not sure Bong Joon Ho quite nails it as the shift from sad animal shot to crazy Gyllenhall shot sort of takes something away from each.
That said, it was an entertaining movie with a few laughs and a tear or 2, and although it didn’t quite live up to my expectations, I’d recommend it easily as one of the top films of 2017 so far.
NB: Submitting this post using this button was just weird:
If you've seen the film, you'll know what I mean.