Such a big title and cast should come with a robust enough structure to move the important message.
In this sense, Bombshell is a bit disappointing.
Starting with the strengths of this movie, the makeup and hairstyling are astonishing. All actors are so immaculately characterized that it even becomes distressing in some occasions.
Kazu Hiro, the special make-up effects artist and visual artist is working on another level. His accolades in fiction are trailblazing – Men in Black; Planet of the Apes; Hellboy; The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Tron Legacy; or Looper –, but what he’s been doing in biopics is uncanny: Gary Oldman into Churchill, and now Theron into Megyn Kelly.
Speaking of the actors, the visual art of Kazu Hiro is elevated every time a great actor like Nicole Kidman or John Lithgow tell a story and confessions with their eyes.
Charlize Theron and Margot Robbie, in particular, are really strong at recreating believable people. They use all the range of human emotions and desires: hopefulness, happiness, humor, ambition, disappointment, fear, sadness and deep melancholy.
It’s a shame then, that the writing, directing, and specially the editing of the film are not up to the depth these women and event deserved.
The pace of the movie is unpleasant. And one can argue that it should feel that way. However, what I am describing is a different kind of awkwardness. This is related to a showy editing that inappropriately accelerates the pace and transitions of the movie, to a point that hampers the connection to the characters.
I know this event needs all the details to be exposed. At the same time, the narrative should have breathing time for characters and you to come to grips with the abhorrent actions of these men. And it doesn’t.
In fact, the best moments are the ones with monstrous staleness and silence.
Either the movie added more 30-40 minutes to its 1h49 runtime, or it was a completely different film, like Darkest Hour, with a lot of heaviness prolonged.
Still, it is worth a watch, not only because of that short length, but also because of the importance of this message and how these tremendous actresses convey it.
The music in some moments also helps alleviate the disorganized editing.
Opinion Seed 