James

I really wanted to love this.  Everything about this film screams me. It’s a period piece with some very fun dance sequences and some creative storytelling methods but I really couldn’t bring myself to like it.  The cast are brilliant, the music is great and it looks amazing but something about was just off to me. It could have been the pacing or the overstuffing of concepts that didn’t gel well but by the end I really couldn’t be bothered anymore which was such a shame as I was very excited for this. If anything it’s a testament to the power of trailer editing because those trailers are still some of my favourites. I oddly I wish the final product was more like those.

Can’t believe he paid £30,000 only to name the kid Barty

Kyle Maclachlan really threw those wigs in the air and ran under them

When historians look back at the 2020s, it won’t take them long to work out that the most poignant and relevant piece of art made at the time was One Battle After Another.  It’s scary that this is more documentary than fiction. The point of art is to be revealing and this film reveals an awful lot about the state of America right now. God knows how many Lockjaws there are running around unchecked out there in positions of power they never should have obtained. What should be a work of fiction is something so much more.  However, ignoring the cultural circumstances for a second, One Battle After Another is still one hell of a film. I’ve always loved DiCaprio and he once again drops an all timer performance. Calhoun is such a fascinating character and I doubt any one else could have done that good of a job as Leo.  I also love his relationship with his daughter played by Chase Infiniti. She’s so incredibly talented and delivers one of the best performances I’ve seen from a newcomer. The scene with her and Lockjaw was so unbelievably tense mostly due to her performance. Speaking of Lockjaw, Sean Penn is phenomenal! He really is a complete an and utter bastard and I hated seeing him on screen. His physicality really adds so much to such a vile performance. I really hope he wins lots of awards for this role.  I also can’t not mention Benicio Del Toro’s Brother Sensei. He’s too funny and really added some lightheartedness to a heavy film.  One Battle After Another is more than just a film, it’s an important portrait of a scary time in history and as a film, I think it’ll forever hold an importance.