Ain't no sunshine . . .
The Darkest Minds (12A)
Starring: Amandla Stenberg, Mandy Moore, Harris Dickinson
Director: Jennifer Yuh Nelson
The Plot: A mysterious virus wipes out 90% of America's children, but leaves the surviving 10% with special abilities ranging from enhanced intelligence to telekinesis. The government orders the remaining children be put into camps for the nation's safety, where they're given a colour that classifies how dangerous their power is. Ruby (Stenberg) is a very rare "Orange" - a powerful psychic deemed most dangerous and to be killed on discovery. She's broken out of the camp by a sympathetic doctor (Moore), but quickly joins up with a group of other escapees led by Liam (Dickinson), who are headed for a secret location where kids can live together freely. Their journey is a dangerous one, and as Ruby and Liam grow closer, Ruby will face a tough choice in order to keep them all safe . . .
Check out the trailer for the film here.
Adaptations of young adult novels can sometimes find mass appeal beyond their intended audience - look at The Hunger Games, for example, or the Maze Runner series. The Darkest Minds, adapted from the first book in a trilogy by author Alexandra Bracken, is unfortunately not one of those films, and is one that's firmly for its target audience. It's a shame, as it has a very dark, interesting premise that makes for some effective moments - an aerial shot of fields of abandoned yellow school buses is particularly strong - and the visual effects when the characters use their powers are pretty good, with their eyes glowing the particular colour that the government used to classify them. Those uses of power are few and far between, however, and the film concentrates instead on their journey and Ruby and Liam's romance, which are far from strong. The acting is a mixed bag - Stenberg as Ruby does fine (you may remember her as the tragic young Rue in The Hunger Games, and she'll be on screens again soon in the racially-charged The Hate U Give) but the rest are pretty poor. Given as this is the first part of a trilogy the story is also left without a conclusion, but the film hasn't performed well commercially so it's unlikely that we're going to get parts two and three. It's a shame, as there was promise here.
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
A promising young adult tale that hasn't been handled well here. The story focuses on the romance arc and the character's physical journey, which is hampered by poor performances, and doesn't delve deep enough into the more interesting, darker aspects of the story. The effects are great when the kids powers are used, but these moments don't come often enough. A shame, as this could have been good. One for die-hard fans of this genre only.
Infiltrate hate
BlacKkKlansman (15)
Starring: John David Washington, Adam Driver, Laura Harrier, Topher Grace
Director: Spike Lee
The Plot: Colorado Springs, 1972. Ron Stallworth (Washington) becomes the first black man to join the local Police, facing internal resistance. Convincing the captain to let him work undercover, Ron begins an investigation into the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan by calling them and pretending to be a white man. Enlisting fellow detective Flip Zimmerman (Driver) to pretend to be him, Flip attends their meetings as "Ron" while Ron himself continues to talk to them over the phone, going so far as to speak to the Grand Wizard himself David Duke (Grace). They learn that the Klan has something violent planned, but the pressure of maintaining their charade begins to take its toll on both Ron's relationship with student activist Patrice (Harrier) and on Flip's beliefs . . .
Check out the trailer for the film here.
Director Spike Lee needs no introduction - his "joints", as he likes to call his films, have dealt with powerful topics over the years, particularly addressing issues facing black people. He returns now with a film that's actually based on a true story, and it's a brilliant one, serving as both an informative look at the racism of the era and the tactics and attitude of the KKK, and as a stark warning about how these are still present today. The film has an effective mix of both humour and seriousness - the moments of comedy are very funny, but they never detract from the ugly, serious nature of the racism that Ron and Flip are going up against, and they do help to make the whole thing more palatable. Ron's phone conversations with David Duke are comedic highlights, and there are some not-so-thinly veiled jabs at Donald Trump (at one point Duke talks about how the Klan will "make America great again"). The performances are great across the board, particularly from the two leads, but one thing to note is that (quite obviously) the film contains very strong racist language, so if you find that uncomfortable you'll have difficulty watching this. While Ron's story ends on a humorous high note, the film itself concludes with footage from last year's horrific events in Charlottesville where white supremacists clashed with anti-fascist protesters, and Trump's telling comments on it. It's a thought-provoking and powerful reminder of the hatred still plaguing society today, and a fitting way to end the story.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
A hilarious but very serious film that delivers a powerful message about how the racism of the 1970s is not only still prevalent in society, but is in danger of growing to those levels once again. Told with Spike Lee's typical stylishness, it features great performances that will have you laughing but also giving you serious food for thought. One of Lee's best films, and one of the best of the year so far as well. Essential viewing.
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