REVIEW BY: Darren Zakus - 11/24/24

RATING 3.5 out of 5

Blitz features outstanding production and sound design that immerse audiences in the chaos of London during the Second World War, though the packed screenplay leaves more story than can be effectively explored in the film’s run time. 

In a mere small number of films, Steve McQueen has solidified himself as one of the most talented filmmakers currently working with critically acclaimed films like Shame, 12 Years a Slave, and the severely underappreciated Widows. Following two miniseries and a documentary film, McQueen is returning to narrative cinema, this time turning the attention to his hometown of London and exploring it during the German air raids of the Second World War. There is an undeniable love and admiration for the resilience of the citizens of London throughout McQueen’s screenplay, which is brought to life by great technical aspects, but it quickly becomes evident that there is too much that McQueen wanted to accomplish for a single film as many of the individual storylines do not get the development they deserve.

From the second Blitz begins, you are immediately sucked into McQueen’s vision from the film’s production value. The sets recreate the destruction and devastation faced by the citizens of London caused by German air raids, while the special and visual effects bring to life the danger. The sound design is impeccable, with each siren and explosion sending shockwaves through viewers to help instill the same fear faced by Londoners during this period of time. Hans Zimmer’s musical score only amplifies this fear, while Nicholas Britell’s jazz compositions capture the music of the era, most notably with his arrangement of “Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny, Oh” performed by Celeste in that mesmerizing single shot sequence in the night club. Pulling it all together is Yorick Le Saux’s cinematography that utilizes lots of longer and sweeping shots to create a real time feeling as Georgie and Rita endure the horrors of the Blitz. It is all excellently executed under McQueen’s talented direction that leaves no technical shortfalls, creating an utterly immersive viewing experience that alone makes Blitz a worthy watch. 

When your film stars Saoirse Ronan in one of the main roles, you know that you are going to be treated to an excellent performance, and Ronan does not disappoint. As Rita, the young single mother trying to fight for civil rights and find her missing son, Ronan packs an emotion that brings to her character’s struggle, determination and perseverance as she searches for her son while contributing to the war effort. Elliott Heffernan makes his acting debut as Rita’s son George, and it’s a good performance as he captures the independence and strong will of George on his journey throughout London. While facing the horrors of the Blitz, Heffernan maintains George’s childhood innocence and view of the world, creating a dichotomy in viewers as they cannot help but be startled by the horrors of the Blitz while evoking a youthful spirit that reminds audiences of the films of Steven Spielberg and Chris Columbus, carrying the majority of the film on his shoulders. The supporting cast is not short of talent with the likes of Harris Dickinson, Benjamin Clementine, Erin Kellyman, Paul Weller, Joshua McGuire and Stephen Graham, but none of them have a large enough role to have their acting leave any sort of impression on the audience. They all are good in the moment, executing what the script requires of them, but you never get them to fully embody their character but rather serve as an element of George or Rita’s story.

Though, the film’s screenplay lets its cast fall short of their potential as there are too many ideas at play for a two hour runtime, causing the cast majority of them to be glossed over without any depth. Rita’s storylines are not given enough time to develop, merely touching on her job in the munitions factory, her volunteer work as a nurse and the search for her son, preventing any of them from reaching the informative or emotional heights they could have with more focus. George undergoes many situations during his journey back home, with some getting the dedication and care they deserve to create some harrowing moments that audiences won’t forget such as the night club sequence and the underground sequence in the film’s final act, while others are merely touched upon and the dropped rather quickly, making them moot points. And the supporting characters, especially Dickinson’s Jack, barely leave an impression on viewers as none of them have more than five minutes of screen time, which is not even enough time to learn their names, ultimately squandering the talent of the actors in these roles. It seems that McQueen had a sprawling epic story to tell, and you can catch glimpses of it throughout, but it’s evident that his original vision has been heavily edited down to achieve a two hour cut suitable for theatrical release. Somewhere on the editing room floor is a superior and longer cut of the film, or even miniseries, that captures everything McQueen wanted to cover in Blitz, and that is the film you want to see. 

While Blitz is not going to reach the awards potential that many viewers had hoped for Steve McQueen’s latest narrative film since 2018’s Widows outside of the technical categories, it is still a competent film that plunges audiences in the midst of the chaos of London during the Second World War. Bolstered by its sensational technicals that recreates the devastation and destruction of the Blitz thanks to the brilliant production design and sound work, Blitz becomes an immersive experience with two strong performances from Saoirse Ronan and Elliott Heffernan, even if narratively it feels like too much was left on the cutting room floor.