Steve McQueen’s WWII drama has the right themes, but the wrong screenplay.
Steve McQueen is a filmmaker who expresses African themes in his movies, as wisely demonstrated in “12 Years a Slave,” “Widows,” and the “Small Axe” anthology series. His new film “Blitz” uses an African-British kid as the main protagonist in London during the Blitz during WWII, and with some impressive visual effects and photography, he captures the fears and dangers of it all. You’re looking at them with anticipation, and you’re sitting in your seats with suspense. So it should be a good movie, but McQueen doesn’t balance the screenplay to keep us involved and, at times, he does make the kid seem like a jerk.
The boy is named George (newcomer Elliott Heffernan), whose mother Rita (Saorise Ronan) is white and whose father Marcus (CJ Beckford), whom he never met, is black. He, sometimes, has to deal with racism in his neighborhood, but his mother and grandfather Gerald (The Jam’s Paul Weller) try to lift his spirits with their cover version of “Ain’t Misbehavin’.”
Think about a few years ago, when Kenneth Branagh made “Belfast,” which represented an Irish boy’s joys and sorrow during the 1960s riots. And think about the spirits and courage within his family and how he struggles to overcome the turmoil. And it also used Van Morrison and Sherman Brothers music to help keep the optimism alive.
Now read this next paragraph, and here’s where I think the kid has to act like a brat. The Blitz had so many bomb attacks, that parents had to send their children away in the countryside for their protection. The grandfather’s advice to the kid is to tell any potential bullies: “All mouth, no trousers,” while the mother gives the boy his father’s necklace for good luck. And yet, in return, as they she and George make their way to the train, he tells her he hates her, runs away, and doesn’t even look out his window when she tries to give him a proper goodbye.
At least, the kid is able to see the error of his ways, because he jumps off the train to find his way home, never dreaming he’d find himself with Pinocchio-like adventures regarding boys and thieves (featuring Stephen Graham as the ring leader), as well as lessons regarding racism. He meets the only black air raid warden named Ife (Benjamin Clementine), who comes from Nigeria, and at one of the shelters, he warns people not to discriminate against each other’s races, especially since that’s how this whole war started.
What’s most enjoyable about the film is the cinematography by Yorick Le Saux (“Little Women,” “Only Lovers Left Alive”), who captures the scope of the planes dropping bombs and the fears brought on to people. There’s lights in the sky, there’s people trying to seek shelter in the Underground tunnels, and even that gets flooded thanks to the bombs. McQueen assembles the right people to make “Blitz” look great. And it makes sense that it would premiere first in theaters before it streams on AppleTV+ (date below review).
But the problem with the film is that it switches the past and present around so often, that unless you pay attention, it’s hard to stay completely focused. And the story needs a better child protagonist, who needs to cut back on the dispositions. There’s nothing wrong with Heffernan’s performance and he’s believable, but his character needs to work on a few things. At least Ronan and Clementine are both here to keep things at bay.
WWII dramas are riveting, not just for the looks, but also for the stories they create. But not everyone can be a masterpiece. This is a well-being and gorgeous looking, but misguided entry for McQueen.
In Select Theaters This Week
Streaming on AppleTV+ This November
