The Most Disappointing Film of 2017

Rating: 4/10 (27 December 2017)

I had high hopes for this Winston Churchill biopic directed by Joe Wright, but it unfortunately fell well short of my expectations. It is simply an utter shame that while this is very far from the worst film of the year, it's undoubtedly the most disappointing one.
The film's narrative takes place during May 1940. The Nazis are beginning to take control of much of western Europe, and Winston Churchill is named Prime Minister after a dissatisfied government in Parliament convinces Neville Chamberlain to resign. Much has been said in the press about Gary Oldman's performance as Winston Churchill. While he does a fine job, the somewhat overdone nature of his performance makes clear that it is unfortunately not the Oscar slam-dunk performance we were all hoping for. The film's supporting cast, however, is quite good--as is the rapid but engaging pacing of the story's narrative.
Unfortunately, what makes "Darkest Hour" a miss is the sad truth that the film's script is a disaster. The film exhausts itself with virtually every clichÃ© in the biopic/historical costume drama genres, such as: young female characters that basically do nothing except help the male protagonist, a large group of strangers introducing themselves to the protagonist after recognizing him, a sentimental climax meant to simply 'tie everything up' rather than make the audience reflect critically on the subject of the biopic, etc. The writing fails to address the points that made Churchill such an effective leader. All in all, while not terrible, this is a very bland biopic that was a huge letdown for me. 4.5/10