Sunday 24 October 2010

Four Lions Review

Four Lions

Sitting down to write this review has been difficult in two ways (hopefully that's an in joke my mates will notice....) both in terms of the films subject and actually writing it up, hopefully it's a task I'll overcome over the developing review.

Trailer: http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1479252249/ (Does contain a few spoilers to be fair, I would give it a miss if I'm honest)

This is a film that is overtly British, I don't mean to come over sounding too patriotic when I state this but, I genuinely believe that Britain is the only country that would be able to pull of a film of this sort. We are a country almost based on comedy, constantly ripping into ourselves, but even for us this is one hell of a touchy subject. Making a comedy about suicide bombers on British soil? Jeez, thank god it's actually funny.

The films director Christopher Morris is one very talented man, a quick look on his IMDB page shows up links ranging from Writing to Composing, but this is his first full length feature film, previously working on UK comedy TV shows and one short film from way back in 2002. It's not only the director that is of UK comedy decent or uprising, the film has writers from contemporary comedy classics: Peep Show, The Thick of It, That Mitchell and Webb look and some dabbles in children comedy shows. It's no surprise that there are some few comedy stars in it as well, one such person is the Kayvan Novak, a person who's name and face you might not know. However, the likelihood of you having heard his voice, or rather one of his voices might be slightly higher, it's Phonejacker/Facejacker, in Four Lions there are also some heavy hitters such as Nigel Lindsay but on the other hand there are some fairly unknowns as well.

Four Lions Review

As I said before, writing this was difficult in two very different ways mainly because of it's topic as I stated above, but also because it's bizarrely average, whilst still being hysterical. Don't get me wrong, the film is good, but that's all it is really, I have no idea how to sum it up or but it any way other than that blunt. There's not much in my notes other than “Hysterical” and “Hy-bloody-sterical”. And with the time ticking down before the deadline of this review I have no idea if that's a good thing or a bad thing, I mean sure, it definitely made me laugh out loud on more than one occasion, but does that constitute achieving a good “grade” in comedy? Well yes and no, it made me laugh so it did in that retrospect, but Four Lions also tries to engage on an emotional level various times throughout the film.

I was bonding with the characters and almost willing them not to be failures (Note: That's no spoiler, one look at the rag tag bunch is all you need to know you're in for an entertaining movie), but then again, that completley goes against every moral fibre in my body. Surely I didn't want innocent people to die just for a sake of some laughs? It's a heavy debate for sure, but it's one that other films or TV shows have asked before and answered. For instance, Dexter raised the same question (for those who don't know, I cannot recommend Dexter enough, quite literally one of the best TV shows since, well, time began) in that he's got the whole moral quandaries down to a tee, I guess imitation is the sincerest form of flattery in this case. I don't know why Four Lions doesn't achieve this, but the only thing I can put my finger and blame it on is that frankly burgeoning on terrible ending, it's just one that isn't satisfying enough, you've been on a journey with these incredibly charming and strong characters but then they kind of fizzle out into a big pile of nothingness( again, don't worry, it's not a spoiler). It's like a firework, the description on the bag spouting awesome phrases, but sometimes it's the hype that lets it down, it's still good, but not as good as you thought it could be.

That's a lesson I've definitely taken on board this year, so many movies I've not gone to watch at the cinema when they were first released but I've waited until they've come out on DVD, and they've become one of my favourite films. Unfortunately, Four Lions isn't one, but as I said before it's not bad, it's extremely funny but just a bit “meh”. This all must be very confusing for you dear readers, because I still don't know what to make of it all myself, trying to write a comprehensive review of this made my mind one big clusterfuck. I guess one could describe Four Lions as jumping the gun a bit too early, a bit to ahead of it's times but also doesn't exactly deliver the goods. I would recommend this film but just keep your hype level and expectancy low, it's a good film, but I highly doubt I will remember much about it by the end of the year.


Well besides probably the best quote on film this year “FUCK MINI BABY-BELLS!”.


-Adam Dean.

P.S I hope everyone is looking forward to MUH as much as I am, watching them before them before I go to bed could turn out very interesting to say the very least.

Make sure you post what film you want to be reviewed next week, voting closes Thursday 28TH of October.

Oh and Happy Mother in Law day.....Some jokes just don't even need to be spoken.

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