← Back to Reviews
in
THE FABELMANS (2022)
Whether fact, fiction or fable you can always count on Steven Spielberg to deliver on his craft and knowledge of cinema…. only this time it’s rolled up, attached, injected and projected with and within his own life’s story – and that adds an interesting layer to be sure.
When I saw promotional material for The Fabelmans, I wasn’t all that interested. However, that feeling flipped around, because once I finally did see the actual film, I was very much invested. And so it goes. Almost every single time with this Spielberg guy. While I was never what you would call film negative about it, I was perhaps in between… I was interpositive, if we were to stay inside the movie lingo… But I reedited and reevaluated my thoughts rather quickly once the movie started when being presented with the one thing that almost never fails in a Spielberg picture – his craftmanship.
Because even his lesser movies seem to have a genuine craft about them; a proper core of cinema and storytelling and expertise, which shines through even the bad stuff. With The Fabelmans though, there aren’t exactly much bad stuff. Some bland stuff, perhaps, some cliches, of course, but mostly it’s very well-realized and I was never bored for its two hour and thirty-minute runtime… characters are vivid and well-rounded, performances are heartfelt and tender, visuals are welcoming and slightly mystical, score is soft and complementary… all of them presented at 24 beautiful frames a second.
Many movies have been made through the years about filmmaking, cinema and art. But Spielberg has ultimately found a path for his picture that’s very true to himself and one which leaves a fingerprint that’s both old and new. A greatest hit, a hit by the greatest or just a great film that hits home. And if you also love filmmaking yourself – going all the way from the craft to the very effect that it has – it certainly isn’t a bad thing either…
I very much enjoyed this. It’s a Spielberg film through and through, but I had more fun with this than some of the director’s newer outings, and honestly, I think that goes both ways. And the ending just seals it with a brilliant cameo and a wonderful closing shot. Bravo.
___________
Whether fact, fiction or fable you can always count on Steven Spielberg to deliver on his craft and knowledge of cinema…. only this time it’s rolled up, attached, injected and projected with and within his own life’s story – and that adds an interesting layer to be sure.
When I saw promotional material for The Fabelmans, I wasn’t all that interested. However, that feeling flipped around, because once I finally did see the actual film, I was very much invested. And so it goes. Almost every single time with this Spielberg guy. While I was never what you would call film negative about it, I was perhaps in between… I was interpositive, if we were to stay inside the movie lingo… But I reedited and reevaluated my thoughts rather quickly once the movie started when being presented with the one thing that almost never fails in a Spielberg picture – his craftmanship.
Because even his lesser movies seem to have a genuine craft about them; a proper core of cinema and storytelling and expertise, which shines through even the bad stuff. With The Fabelmans though, there aren’t exactly much bad stuff. Some bland stuff, perhaps, some cliches, of course, but mostly it’s very well-realized and I was never bored for its two hour and thirty-minute runtime… characters are vivid and well-rounded, performances are heartfelt and tender, visuals are welcoming and slightly mystical, score is soft and complementary… all of them presented at 24 beautiful frames a second.
Many movies have been made through the years about filmmaking, cinema and art. But Spielberg has ultimately found a path for his picture that’s very true to himself and one which leaves a fingerprint that’s both old and new. A greatest hit, a hit by the greatest or just a great film that hits home. And if you also love filmmaking yourself – going all the way from the craft to the very effect that it has – it certainly isn’t a bad thing either…
I very much enjoyed this. It’s a Spielberg film through and through, but I had more fun with this than some of the director’s newer outings, and honestly, I think that goes both ways. And the ending just seals it with a brilliant cameo and a wonderful closing shot. Bravo.
___________