Educational, and well acted, but admittedly very slow-paced.

Rating: 7/10 (4 January 2018)

'DARKEST HOUR': Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five)
A war biopic starring Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill, when he first became prime minister in 1940. It was directed by Joe Wright, and it was written by Anthony McCarten. The film costars Lily James, Kristin Scott Thomas and Ben Mendelsohn. It's received mostly positive reviews from critics, it's a modest hit at the Box Office, and it's also another upcoming Oscar hopeful (specifically Oldman for Best Actor). I found the movie to be both educational, and well acted.
In May of 1940, during World War II, Winston Churchill (Oldman) was made British Prime Minister, after Neville Chamberlain's (Ronald Pickup) forced resignation. Churchill had a poor reputation with others at this time, and he faced a lot of opposition from Parliament. Especially with negotiations for peace (or lack there of). The film centers on this conflict. It also focuses on Chruchill's relationship with his wife (Thomas), and his new secretary at that time (James).
I knew little about this specific time in history, before seeing the movie; or at least if I had known much about it, I had forgotten it. So for me, the film was a good history lesson. It also (of course) delivers an outstanding performance from Gary Oldman, and I think Lily James shines in the movie as well. The makeup is pretty impressive too. The film is admittedly very slow-paced though, and it's kind of boring at times as well. It definitely took some effort for me to sit through it all, despite it's multiple qualities.