Pure genius

Rating: 10/10 (27 October 2014)

Stanley Kubrick this time turns his attention to the cold war. Adapting a cold war thriller to the big screen, he increasingly started to see the funny side in it and the result is Dr Strangelove, the tense, dark- and utterly hysterical- story of a war room full of generals and politicians trying to stop a general from triggering nuclear war. As this is Kubrick, everything is meticulously crafted and nothing happens by accident. Despite his other dark and disturbing movies, Kubrick's comedy is one of the funniest films ever made. The laughs flow more slowly at first, before the floodgates open and once the film gets going it never slows down. Although it's a satire, part of the films ingenuity is that there's a unmistakable ring of truth and the laughter is often bitter. The screenplay is incredible; oozing with laughs and full of clever symbolism. It also has the best use of a cola cola machine in cinematic history.
The acting is great, with winsome performances from George C Scott and Peter Sellers. What's even more mesmerizing is the direction. With every shot perfectly crafted and every frame full of power and art, the film never ceases to be compelling. In general, who knew the end of the world could be so funny? While it's certainly funnier than anything Adam Sandler's recently done, the film finds plenty of laughter in its coal black subject matter and is the ultimate black comedy. With plenty of iconic moments and a sharp wit, as well plenty of ingenuity, Dr Strangelove is definitely one of the best comedies ever made and another brilliant effort from Stanley Kubrick. Dr Strangelove is something all aspiring comedy writers should watch and all sorts of people should be able to relate to it. Although it's now 50 years old, it isn't particularly dated and its themes still resonate today. It has a bit of a slow start, but other than that it hits like the bomb.
10/10