Blitz (Apple+)

[DanaK]

Quote

Apple+ movie that premieres November 1 2024

Director Steve McQueen‘s “Blitz” follows the epic journey of George (Elliott Heffernan), a nine-year-old boy in World War II London whose mother Rita (Saoirse Ronan) sends him to safety in the English countryside. George, defiant and determined to return home to his mom and his grandfather Gerald (Paul Weller) in East London, embarks on an adventure, only to find himself in immense peril while a distraught Rita searches for her missing son.

 

[AngieBee1]

I thought the feel of it would be akin to "Dunkirk" or "1917", but it's a more rousing film. It's a salute to the enduring spirit of those who weren't on the front lines, those left behinds having to make do in the chaos of the blitz.   The cinematography and scope is great; definitely should be seen in the theater if one's area has it before going to Apple+.

[SeanC]

David Ehrlich's review called this the first McQueen film that feels like it could have been directed by someone else; I'd modify that statement, as you can see a lot of the director's familiar interests and themes, but he's also trying to do a more populist version of his own filmmaking. The scenes focused on Ronan feel closer to a 'normal' McQueen film, generally, but the scenes following the kid feel like McQueen trying to access his inner Spielberg -- which I don't think ever fully gels.

I knew a lot of the reviews used the phrase "Dickensian", but I wasn't prepared for the whole segment that is just a straight Oliver Twist riff, complete with a Nancy, a Fagin, etc.