Howe's World of Film and TV

Judy (2019) – Review

A Pathé Picture, Written by Tom Edge, Directed by Rupert Goold.

Judy Garland is one of the most iconic stars in history, and also has a tragic story that few people know, which makes her the perfect subject for a classic Hollywood biopic, and that is the issue here, it is exactly what we are so used to seeing. I wish that that had taken some risks and done something different.

It is told in a very boring style, visually uninteresting, and doesn’t allow its supporting cast to thrive.

However, it does successfully contextualise the abusive past Judy had, with a strong performance from young performer Darci Shaw.

The final rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” was highly emotional and effective in the context of the film, and Zellweger excelled.

Speaking of Renée Zellwegger, she is undoubtedly the best thing here and completely carries the film. She really takes on the persona of Garland and has established herself as the strong favourite at this year’s Oscars.

While I wouldn’t be upset to see her win, I’ve seen multiple performances that aren’t even being talked about that I felt were much more deserving of that award.

Rating = 3/5

Ranking Star Wars

Now that the dust has settled following the release of the Rise of Skywalker and the Skywalker saga is officially over, I have put together my definitive ranking of every Star Wars movie ever released.

11. Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones

So cheesy, misguided and at times hard to watch, not even Ewan McGregor could save this film.

10. Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace

The much heralded return to the Star Wars universe for the first time since the original trilogy was not the film many people wanted.

9. Solo: A Star Wars Story

An enjoyable entry with some very good performances (Ehrenreich, Clarke, Glover) but this film was entirely unnecessary and low key.

8. Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker

The final film in the Skywalker saga should’ve been so much better. While I like some bits, the film was such a narrative mess and seemed to try and aggressively disregard its predecessor, that it is tough to respect it.

7. Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi

Parts of this Rian Johnson film I really love; Rey and Kylo (especially the throne room scene), Luke’s heroic moment on the salt planet (and reunion with Leia), the attempt to deconstruct the Star Wars saga, and Adam Driver giving the franchises best ever performance. However, I also think it had a lot of pointless sub stories that took over in places and some of the narrative decisions were not for the good of the franchise.

6. Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi

A totally enjoyable finale to the original trilogy that is much closer to the space fantasy fun of the first film than the dark tones of Empire. Mark Hamill doesn’t get enough credit for how good he is here.

5. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

The only Star Wars spinoff that really worked for me, and that is because I felt it actually added to the films that already existed, retroactively making A New Hope even better. It also truly films like a war movie set in the fantasy universe we know. It features a stunning third act and the Vader scene at the end is one of the saga’s best moments.

4. Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith

So much higher in my ranking than the other prequels because even though it suffers some of the same issues, this film delivers fully on being a dark origin for Darth Vader, packed full with the best lightsaber battles in the franchise has had.

3. Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens

This film gave me one of my favourite moviegoing experiences, it was so well constructed and the only thing stopping this being higher is how closely it resembles A New Hope. However, there’s no denying the new cast is brilliantly mixed with the old, in a perfect return to a Galaxy Far, Far Away.

2. Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope

The film that started it all and one of the most important and game changing moments in cinema history. The main trio are electric, the story is both new and yet nostalgic, the score is incredible, and the effects are revolutionary. George Lucas changed the industry with this film in 1977.

1. Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back

My winner is the film that many others also consider the best, and for good reason. Lucas followed up his campy space epic with a dark and character focused drama that just so happened to be set in space, and allowed all the characters to go through real arcs and discover who they are. It also features the greatest twist/cliffhanger in cinema history and will go down as one of the best sequels of all time.

The Witcher (2019) – TV Review

When this show was released at the end of December, it quickly became one of the most watched and talked about shows of the year, and I can understand why.

I have never read the books or played the games so knew little about this world going in, but it clearly has a large fan base and that is for a reason.

I did have some issues with this season; the non-linear story didn’t particularly work (although I understand it may have been necessary), the overall plot was either paper thin or way too complicated to understand, and so many characters were introduced to little ends.

However, I really enjoyed the show despite all this. The world is fascinating, the action is sharp, the cast is great, and the lead characters are compelling.

Freya Allen is good in the smaller of the three lead roles, although I’m sure this is set to grow in season 2. Emma Appleton made a huge impact on me as Renfri and I wish she could potentially return in a bigger way.

Henry Cavill brings star power, physicality, and charisma to the lead role of Geralt. He is at his best with the “slightly morally ambiguous” heroes and he’s great here.

However, the real stand out for me was Anya Chalotra as Yennefer. She had the most complex arc and delivered brilliantly. Yen is not your stereotypical leading lady; she is sarcastic, power hungry, sexual, lonely, and immensely powerful. Chalotra has some explicit scenes that she handles very well and bravely, but her beauty is not what should define this performance, it is her true ability as an actress. I really like this character and can’t wait to see where she goes next.

When Cavill and Chalotra were together they were electric and the show was at its best, so hopefully they will reunite soon into the second season that will likely air in 2021.

Toss a Coin to your Witcher!

Rating = 3.5/5

The Future of the MCU – Updated

Following updates in the last few months, this is my updated prediction for the upcoming schedule of the MCU and it includes Disney+ series.

2020

Black Widow – Confirmed

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Eternals – Confirmed

WandaVision

2021

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings – Confirmed

Loki

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – Confirmed

What If?

Spider-Man 3 – Confirmed

Ms. Marvel

Thor: Love and Thunder – Confirmed

Moon Knight

2022

Guardians 3

Hawkeye

Black Panther 2 – Confirmed

She-Hulk

Ant-Man 3

Deadpool 3

2023

Eternals 2

Captain Marvel 2

Spider-Man 4

Blade

2024

The New Black Widow

Avengers 5

Fantastic Four

Deadpool 4

2025

Doctor Strange 3

Black Panther 3

X-Men

Blade 2

The Future of the DCEU – Updated

Following updates in recent months and my own researched estimates, this is my current prediction on how the DC Universe will shape up over the coming years.

2020

Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of one Harley Quinn – Confirmed

Wonder Woman 1984 – Confirmed

2021

The Batman – Confirmed

The Suicide Squad – Confirmed

Black Adam – Confirmed

2022

Shazam 2 – Confirmed

The Flash – Confirmed

Aquaman 2 – Confirmed

2023

Gotham City Sirens

Wonder Woman 3

The New Gods

2024

Shazam vs Black Adam

The Batman 2

Supergirl

2025

Batgirl

Justice League 2

Aquaman 3

2020 Oscars – Predicting the Winners

Following on the back of today’s Oscar nominations, this is my first post focusing on who I think will WIN at the 92^nd Academy Awards. These are likely to change slightly over the coming weeks but my first set of predictions are here…

Top Predicted Winners

Joker – 3

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood – 3

Parasite – 3

1917 – 3

Best Picture

Predicted Winner = Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Sony) – David Heyman, Shannon McIntosh, Quentin Tarantino

Main Challenger = 1917 (Universal) – Sam Mendes, Pippa Harris, Jayne-Ann Tenggren, Callum McDougal

Best Director

Predicted Winner = Bong Joon Ho – Parasite

Main Challenger =Sam Mendes – 1917

Best Actor

Predicted Winner = Joaquin Phoenix – Joker

Main Challenger =Adam Driver – Marriage Story

Best Actress

Predicted Winner = Renee Zellwegger – Judy

Main Challenger =Scarlett Johansson – Marriage Story

Best Supporting Actor

Predicted Winner = Brad Pitt – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Main Challenger =Joe Pesci – The Irishman

Best Supporting Actress

Predicted Winner = Laura Dern – Marriage Story

Main Challenger =Margot Robbie – Bombshell

Best Original Screenplay

Predicted Winner = Quentin Tarantino – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Main Challenger =Bong Joon-ho – Parasite

Best Adapted Screenplay

Predicted Winner = Greta Gerwig – Little Women

Main Challenger =Steven Zailian – The Irishman

Best Animated Feature

Predicted Winner = Toy Story 4 (Pixar) – Josh Cooley, Mark Nielsen, Jonas Rivera

Main Challenger = Missing Link (United Artists) – Chris Butler, Arianne Sutner, Travis Knight

Best Documentary Feature

Predicted Winner = For Sama – Waad Al-Kateab, Edward Watts

Main Challenger = American Factory – Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert, Jeff Reichert

Best International Feature

Predicted Winner = Parasite – South Korea

Main Challenger = Pain and Glory – Spain

Best Cinematography

Predicted Winner = 1917 – Roger Deakins

Main Challenger = Once Upon a Time in Hollywood – Robert Richardson

Best Film Editing

Predicted Winner = The Irishman – Thelma Schoonmaker

Main Challenger = Parasite – Jimmo Yang

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Predicted Winner = Bombshell – Kazu Hiro, Anne Morgan, Vivian Baker

Main Challenger = Joker – Nicki Ledermann, Kay Georgiou

Best Original Score

Predicted Winner = Joker – Hildur Guonadottir

Main Challenger = 1917 – Thomas Newman

Best Original Song

Predicted Winner = “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” (Rocketman) – Elton John, Bernie Taupin

Main Challenger = “Stand Up” (Harriet) – JoshuahBrian Campbell, Cynthia Erivo

Best Visual Effects

Predicted Winner = The Lion King – Robert Legato, Adam Valdez, Andrew R. Jones, Elliot Newman

Main Challenger = The Irishman – Pablo Helman, Leandro Estebecorena, Nelson Sepulveda-Fauser, Stephane Grabli

Best Production Design

Predicted Winner = Parasite – Lee Ha Jun, Cho Won Woo

Main Challenger = 1917 – Dennis Gassner, Lee Sandales

Best Costume Design

Predicted Winner = Joker – Mark Bridges

Main Challenger = Little Women – Jaqueline Durran

Best Sound Editing

Predicted Winner = 1917 – Oliver Tarney, Rachael Tate

Main Challenger = Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – Matthew Wood, David Acord

Best Sound Mixing

Predicted Winner = 1917 – Mark Taylor, Stuart Wilson

Main Challenger = Ad Astra – Gary Rydstrom, Tom Johnson, Mark Ulano

Oscar Nominations – Reaction and Full List

It was a hugely eventful announcement as we now know the full list of nominees for this years Academy Awards. I want to note that I think 2019 was a very strong year for film, and there are a lot of very good movies in contention and a lot of nominees I am very happy about.

The big talking points of the announcements for me are as follows;

No Greta Gerwig in Director (not one woman being nominated this year despite the incredible amount of films from female directors is a disgrace)
De Niro and Taron miss out in best actor as Banderas and Pryce sneak in
J Lo snubbed in favour of Kathy Bates (another shocking decision)
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood missing Editing is a blow to its chances
The best picture could still realistically be won by 4 to 5 films (Jojo Rabbit, Joker, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Parasite, The Irishman)
Scar Jo is a double nominee this year
Tom Hanks gets his first acting nomination in nearly 2 decades
Frozen II misses out in Animated Feature
Joker leads the nominees with 11, and this is a remarkable achievement, however you feel about the film

Top Nominees

Joker – 11

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood – 10

The Irishman – 10

1917 – 10

Best Picture

Ford v. Ferrari (Fox)

Jojo Rabbit (Fox)

Joker (Warner Bros)

Little Women (Sony)

Marriage Story (Netflix)

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Sony)

Parasite (Neon)

The Irishman (Netflix)

1917 (Universal)

Best Director

Bong Joon Ho – Parasite

Martin Scorsese – The Irishman

Quentin Tarantino – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Sam Mendes – 1917

Todd Phillips – Joker

Best Actor

Adam Driver – Marriage Story

Antonio Banderas – Pain and Glory

Joaquin Phoenix – Joker

Jonathan Pryce – The Two Popes

Leonardo DiCaprio – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Best Actress

Charlize Theron – Bombshell

Cynthia Erivo – Harriet

Renee Zellwegger – Judy

Scarlett Johansson – Marriage Story

Saoirse Ronan – Little Women

Best Supporting Actor

Al Pacino – The Irishman

Anthony Hopkins – The Two Popes

Brad Pitt – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Joe Pesci – The Irishman

Tom Hanks – A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood

Best Supporting Actress

Florence Pugh – Little Women

Kathy Bates – Richard Jewell

Laura Dern – Marriage Story

Margot Robbie – Bombshell

Scarlett Johansson – Jojo Rabbit

Best Original Screenplay

Bong Joon-Ho – Parasite

Noah Baumbach – Marriage Story

Quentin Tarantino – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Rian Johnson – Knives Out

Sam Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns – 1917

Best Adapted Screenplay

Anthony McCarten – The Two Popes

Greta Gerwig – Little Women

Steven Zailian – The Irishman

Taika Waititi – Jojo Rabbit

Todd Phillips and Scott Silver – Joker

Best Animated Feature

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (Dreamworks)

I Lost My Body (Netflix)

Klaus (Netflix)

Missing Link (United Artists)

Toy Story 4 (Pixar)

Best Documentary Feature

American Factory

For Sama

Honeyland

The Cave

The Edge of Democracy

Best International Feature

Corpus Christi (Poland)

Honeyland (North Macedonia)

Les Miserables (France)

Pain and Glory (Spain)

Parasite (South Korea)

Best Cinematography

Jarin Blaschke – The Lighthouse

Lawrence Sher – Joker

Robert Richardson – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Rodrigo Prieto – The Irishman

Roger Deakins – 1917

Best Film Editing

Andrew Buckland and Michael McCusker – Ford v Ferrari

Jeff Groth – Joker

Jimmo Yang – Parasite

Thelma Schoonmaker – The Irishman

Tom Eagles – Jojo Rabbit

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Bombshell

Joker

Judy

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil

1917

Best Original Score

Alexandre Desplat – Little Women

Hildur Guonadottir – Joker

John Williams – Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Randy Newman – Marriage Story

Thomas Newman – 1917

Best Original Song

Diane Warren – “I’m Standing With You” (Breakthrough)

Elton John and Bernie Taupin – “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” (Rocketman)

Joshuah Brian Campbell and Cynthia Erivo – “Stand Up” (Harriet)

Randy Newman – “I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away” (Toy Story 4)

Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez – “Into the Unknown” (Frozen II)

Best Visual Effects

Avengers: Endgame

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

The Lion King

The Irishman

1917

Best Production Design

Jojo Rabbit

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Parasite

The Irishman

1917

Best Costume Design

Little Women

Joker

Jojo Rabbit

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

The Irishman

Best Sound Editing

Ford v Ferrari

Joker

1917

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Best Sound Mixing

Ad Astra

Ford v Ferrari

Joker

1917

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Final Oscar Nomination Predictions

This is my final post predicting the nominations for the Oscars, which will be announced tomorrow. After tomorrow, my predictions will be focused simply on who will win the awards. I will order my predictions by what I believe to be the current favourites, and have not included the short film categories in my predictions.

Top Predicted Nominations

Joker = 11

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood = 10

The Irishman = 9

1917 = 9

Little Women = 7

Best Picture

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Sony)

1917 (Universal)

Parasite (Neon)

The Irishman (Netflix)

Joker (Warner Bros)

Jojo Rabbit (Fox)

Marriage Story (Netflix)

Ford v. Ferrari (Fox)

Little Women (Sony)

Knives Out (Lionsgate)

Alternatives = The Two Popes (Netflix) and The Farewell (A24)

Best Director

Bong Joon Ho – Parasite

Sam Mendes – 1917

Quentin Tarantino – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Martin Scorsese – The Irishman

Greta Gerwig – Little Women (Hopefully!!!)

Alternatives = Todd Phillips – Joker and Taika Waititi – Jojo Rabbit

Best Actor

Joaquin Phoenix – Joker

Adam Driver – Marriage Story

Taron Egerton – Rocketman

Leonardo DiCaprio – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Christian Bale – Ford v. Ferrari

Alternatives= Robert De Niro – The Irishman and Antonio Banderas – Pain and Glory

Best Actress

Renee Zellwegger – Judy

Scarlett Johansson – Marriage Story

Charlize Theron – Bombshell

Saoirse Ronan – Little Women

Lupita Nyong’o – Us

Alternatives= Awkwafina – The Farewell and Cynthia Erivo – Harriet

Best Supporting Actor

Brad Pitt – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Joe Pesci – The Irishman

Al Pacino – The Irishman

Tom Hanks – A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood

Anthony Hopkins – The Two Popes

Alternatives= Song Kang-ho – Parasite and Jamie Foxx – Just Mercy

Best Supporting Actress

Laura Dern – Marriage Story

Margot Robbie – Bombshell

Jennifer Lopez – Hustlers

Scarlett Johansson – Jojo Rabbit

Florence Pugh – Little Women

Alternatives= Zhao Shuzhen – The Farewell and Nicole Kidman – Bombshell

Best Original Screenplay

Quentin Tarantino – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Bong Joon-Ho – Parasite

Noah Baumbach – Marriage Story

Rian Johnson – Knives Out

Sam Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns – 1917

Alternatives= Susanna Fogel, Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, and Katie Silberman – Booksmart and Lulu Wang – The Farewell

Best Adapted Screenplay

Steven Zailian – The Irishman

Taika Waititi – Jojo Rabbit

Todd Phillips and Scott Silver – Joker

Greta Gerwig – Little Women

Anthony McCarten – The Two Popes

Alternatives = Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster – A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood and Matthew Michael Carnahan and Mario Correa – Dark Waters

Best Animated Feature

Toy Story 4 (Pixar)

Missing Link (United Artists)

Frozen II (Disney)

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (Dreamworks)

Klaus (Netflix)

Alternatives = I Lost My Body (Netflix) and Abominable (Dreamworks)

Best Documentary Feature

For Sama (PBS)

Apollo 11 (Neon)

American Factory (Netflix)

One Child Nation (Amazon)

Honeyland (Neon)

Alternatives = The Biggest Little Farm (Netflix) and Knock Down the House (Netflix)

Best International Feature

Parasite (South Korea)

Pain and Glory (Spain)

Les Miserables (France)

Atlantics (Senegal)

Beanpole (Russia)

Alternatives = Honeyland (North Macedonia) and Corpus Christi (Poland)

Best Cinematography

Roger Deakins – 1917

Robert Richardson – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Lawrence Sher – Joker

Phedon Papamichael – Ford v. Ferrari

Rodrigo Prieto – The Irishman

Alternatives = Yorick Le Saux – Little Women and Jarin Blaschke – The Lighthouse

Best Film Editing

Thelma Schoonmaker – The Irishman

Andrew Buckland and Michael McCusker – Ford v Ferrari

Jeff Groth – Joker

Fred Raskin – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Jimmo Yang – Parasite

Alternatives = Lee Smith – 1917 and Jennifer Lame – Marriage Story

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Joker

Bombshell

Judy

Rocketman

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Alternatives = Dolemite is my Name and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil

Best Original Score

Hildur Guonadottir – Joker

Thomas Newman – 1917

Randy Newman – Marriage Story

Alexandre Desplat – Little Women

Michael Giacchino – Jojo Rabbit

Alternatives = John Williams – Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders – Ford v. Ferrari

Best Original Song

Elton John and Bernie Taupin – “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” (Rocketman)

Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez – “Into the Unknown” (Frozen II)

Joshuah Brian Campbell and Cynthia Erivo – “Stand Up” (Harriet)

Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Timothy McKenzie and Ilya Salmanzadeh – “Spirit” (The Lion King)

Caitlyn Smith, Mary Steenburgen and Kate York – “Glasgow (No Place Like Home)” (Wild Rose)

Alternatives = Randy Newman – “I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away” (Toy Story 4) and Choi Woo Shik, Bong Joon Ho, Jung Jae Il – “A Glass of Soju” (Parasite)

Best Visual Effects

The Lion King

The Irishman

1917

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Avengers: Endgame

Alternatives = Gemini Man and Alita: Battle Angel

Best Production Design

1917

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Jojo Rabbit

Joker

The Irishman

Alternatives = Parasite and Little Women

Best Costume Design

Little Women

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Joker

Jojo Rabbit

Dolemite is my Name

Alternatives = The Irishman and Judy

Best Sound Editing

Joker

1917

Rocketman

Ford v Ferrari

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Alternatives = Avengers: Endgame and Uncut Gems

Best Sound Mixing

1917

Joker

Rocketman

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Ford v Ferrari

Alternatives = Avengers: Endgame and Uncut Gems

The Mandalorian (2019) – TV Review

Star Wars is one of the most talked about and divisive franchises in the world right now, but one thing most people seem to be able to agree on is that The Mandalorian was a huge success.

It became one of the most talked about shows of the year and took the franchise back to its western/samurai inspired roots. Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni seem to have a really good understanding of the world and what the fans want.

Mando is a really good protagonist and Pedro Pascal does a really good job portraying him. The array of supporting characters that appear throughout the show are impressive, with Gina Carano, Carl Weathers, and Werner Herzog leave the biggest impressions. I look forward to Giancarlo Esposito’s role as the main villain of Season 2.

Behind the camera everyone does an impressive job, with Deborah Chow’s episodes giving me great confidence about the Obi-Wan series she will lead. Taika Waititi really shone as director of the finale and brought a real cinematic edge to it.

I would go as far to say as the finale is one of the best pieces of Star Wars content since the original trilogy, and it was a joy to watch.

I hope Season 2 follows more of an arc like the start and end of this season did as it was extremely compelling.

The real MVP of this season and the internet’s darling is Baby Yoda. He was a glorious surprise and is incredibly cute and brought real stakes to Mando’s story. I am fascinated where the story of Mando and the Child will go from here, and Season 2 can’t come soon enough.

Rating = 4/5

1917 (2019) – Review

A Universal Picture, Written by Sam Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns, Directed by Sam Mendes.

2019 has proven to be one of recent memory’s finest years for film, and this is just another addition to that. 1917 is one of the best films in a year packed full of great films.

Sam Mendes’ decision to shoot this story as though it is one continuous take is much more than a gimmick and it adds a real adrenaline to the film and brings the audience close to the action. Cinematographer Roger Deakins is able to pull off this almost impossible feat beautifully and he proves again that he is one of the greatest practitioners of his craft.

The film is packed full of visually and emotionally dazzling moments, with the nighttime chase through a fire lit abandoned town, the rendition of “The Wayfaring Stranger”, and Mackay’s last ditch sprint across the front line being my particular favourites.

Mendes brought together an exceptional cast, who mostly have cameos, but they are all important and effective. Scott, Strong, Duburcq, Firth, and Cumberbatch are all great. Richard Madden only has a couple of minutes screen time but produces some of his finest work in a heartbreaking scene.

The only major supporting role goes to Dean Charles-Chapman and the Game of Thrones alum does a really good job and may be able to forge a good career for himself after the show.

However, this film is totally carried on the back of newcomer George Mackay, and he totally delivers. This is a performance that deserves awards attention, as it is a remarkably physical and demanding performance and he brings everything he has to the part. He is an actor to watch out for.

Mendes doesn’t shy away from the horrors and futility of war, while still delivering an epic film. 1917 deserves it’s place as one of awards seasons frontrunners.

Rating = 4.5/5