Solid, beautiful movie with good script and acting

Rating: 8/10 (12 January 2018)

Another very satisfying GDT movie, very reminiscent of Pan's Labyrinth. Lots of the technical aspects, such as score, makeup of Doug Jones, scene shooting and cuts, and acting performances of Hawkins and Jenkins, were really impressive and help explain why it's got a good chance at Best Picture. I really like the themes they touch on, with the Cold War, love and understanding, loyalty and hierarchy, and very clearly defined and developed characters. However, I didn't find these themes to be extremely deeply or consistently explored, as none of them are especially vivid, emphasized, or concluded in a way that makes you reconsider the idea - they were smaller pieces to a beautiful movie about the main character finding love and understanding. Nothing wrong with that, and it was well done, but nothing that makes it especially memorable or emotionally intense. Very solid, well-directed, and good peripherals, but nothing that puts it over the top.