A technical marvel

Rating: 7/10 (12 February 2014)

When Oscar nominations were announced this year many bemoaned the lack of Rush in any of the categories with Ron Howards FI biopic not even able to score a look in in any of the seemingly appropriate tech or sound spots. It's a curious and unanswerable question when one is to ask why Rush was so overlooked, but it's also not hard to see why the film was perhaps just merely forgotten about.
Rush is a film that from a production stand point would be graded in the highest order yet there is an element amiss in the film that stops it from being an emotional movie, a movie that transcends whatever scene it is set in and gets viewers to appreciate it on a whole different wave length. The sound editing, visual effects, stunts and Anthony Dod Mantle's at times ground breaking and stunning cinematography (after this effort and his work on films such as 127 Hours and Dredd 3D Mantle is quickly establishing himself as one of the best in the DOP game) in Rush are without question A grade efforts but Howard has somehow miss–stepped when concentrating on the lives of these two different and amazingly driven men.
In one of his first lead roles outside of the Marvel universe Hemsworth as playboy James Hunt is a solid presence in the film but one can't help but feel it's pretty much Thor in a fast car and therefore not much of a stretch of his acting ability. Daniel Bruhl as the much more stoic and professional of the two racers Niki Lauda does a fine job of portraying a man that at times is extremely hard to care for and that's where the film becomes an enjoyable one not a classic. These two true life men lead undeniably interesting lives and the focus of the events in the film are at times edge of your set moments but to transcend a film to another level (and get those Oscar nominations) you need to have people that no matter how vile or arrogant they get they still draw your feelings out, and James and Niki sadly just don't have that.
A never dull and visually impressive piece of movie entertainment Rush is another fine entry into the increasingly broad film catalogue of director Ron Howard who is one of the most consistent and interesting directors working today. Rush is also a film that could have been so much more but as it stands is a thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable night in with a movie, just don't expect to be thinking about it in the days following.
3 and a half lung cleanouts out of 5
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