‘Blitz’ evacuate your expectations

By Michael Trueswell Staff Writer

Emily Monaco / THE GATEPOST

Released on Nov. 1, “Blitz” captures the danger civilians faced during WWII and the fear endured during that era of history. The Battle for Britain was a pivotal moment in history - every citizen was in danger due to bombing campaigns designed to target civilian populations. Children were evacuated from the cities to the countryside for their safety. Written and directed by Steve McQueen, “Blitz” follows the fictional characters of 9-year-old George, played by Elliott Heffernan, and his mother Rita, played by Saoirse Ronan. George joins many other children as he is sent out of London by his mother and grandfather to wait out the war. After a cold goodbye, George then spends the rest of the film attempting to reunite with his family. Along the way, he finds friends and mentors, eventually discovering that his mother’s fears of the city’s danger were well-founded. Throughout the film, George faces near-consistent bullying by other children and adults for his mixed-race background. George's safety and journey home dominate the film's attention, but they provide little to no context for the war outside of the brief moments at the start of the film. The lack of organic storytelling holds the film back. The film uses the era and war more as set dressing rather than an integral catalyst for the evacuation and destruction of the city. This may have been mitigated by including characters listening to the radio in passing or in dialogue. Although the runtime is 120 minutes, it feels much longer as there are graphic and rapid tonal changes that alter the movie's pacing, further distracting from George’s travel home and Rita’s search for him without adding anything substantial. This era of British history is often seen as the nation’s finest hour, where the whole population came together. Throughout the movie, “Blitz” critiques this assumption by its inclusion of many instances of discrimination and mistreatment of George and other characters for their racial background. The film uses flashbacks to recount Rita’s relationship with George’s father and explain his absence. Although these add to the background of the characters, they have very little to do with their current life-threatening situation during the events of the rest of the film. This information may have been better explained to the audience through dialogue between Rita and George before their separation. Ronan's performance was overall well done, juggling the concern for her family as well as performing the hard work of a factory laborer. Despite Ronan's impressive vocal performance in the song "Winter Coat," the inclusion of her character singing for BBC radio felt forced and unrelated to the film's plot. “Blitz” can effectively convey the horrors that bombing can cause to a civilian population but fails to show the famous and recorded instances of people coming together during this national emergency. What holds this film back the most is the overly blunt writing and not giving the audience enough time to connect with some of its characters. The London firefighter Jack, played by Harris Dickinson, is a notable example. In the film, Jack had little justification for his inclusion among the cast as his character felt nearly meaningless to the overall story. If Jack were essential to the plot or had a more significant role in the movie, he might have been a more interesting character. “Blitz” was enhanced by the contributions of some very interesting supporting actors. Leigh Gill's performance as the real historical figure Mickey Davies was an absolute standout in the film, piquing my interest despite its brief inclusion for just a few moments, and left me wishing Gill would return to include more of him. Benjamin Clementine's performance as Ife also connected with me, although his presence was definitely limited by the script. His ability to connect with George’s character felt organic and was a much-needed addition to the movie. Regrettably, the writing in “Blitz” was uninteresting and failed to maintain a consistent tone throughout, with especially weak dialogue that at times drew unnecessary attention to itself and distracted from the plot and the hazards of the environment. Despite “Blitz’s” adequate cinematography and appealingly period-accurate costuming, the occasionally questionable special effects further broke the film's immersion. Although there are many issues with this film, by the end, I was completely invested in the characters' safety and was desperate to see George reunite with his family and make it home safely. “Blitz” would have been greatly improved by a tighter focus on the relationship and journey of George and his mother, Rita. Unfortunately, after the dust has settled, I would recommend that anyone interested in viewing “Blitz” instead keep calm and carry on. Rating: C- “Blitz” a movie that missed the dropzone