Blitz

Originally, I had not heard much about Blitz, Steve McQueen's newest World War II film, but that's likely because life has been a little busy lately.  

The film, streaming on Apple TV+, is about a mother, Rita (Saoirse Ronan) who attempts to evacuate her son from London to avoid the nightly bombings from the Germans during World War II. These bombings were called the Blitzkrieg, hence the name of the film. The majority of the film's remaining run time of 2 hours tells of her son, George's (Elliott Heffernan) journey back home to her after he escapes the children's train that would have removed him from the dangers of the city. 

Blitz is a very good movie, where I had very few faults with it aside from it felt confused at times about which important topic/statement it was trying to make. There's obviously life within a civilian city at the heart of a war, there's a family's love between a mother and her daughter, the adventure of a boy across a portion of the country, and the Black Experience during these times as George (and his father) is black. While each of these elements is important, I couldn't help feeling like the film's tone and focus was a little disorienting between each of them. There are clear moments that speak to George's experience (or his father's via flashbacks) in 1940s London, but these are quickly transitioned away from - and rarely feel like the central focus - to get back to the story of a city under attack or a mother searching for her son. It's not so clunky that it ever threatens to ruin the film, and truthfully I wouldn't be surprised if others hardly notice it, but it's largely the sole issue I have with an otherwise fantastic film. 

Blitz has a lot of story to tell, and does so in efficient fashion, given it's only 2 hours long. As mentioned, there are a lot of areas of focus - including the aforementioned flashbacks - but it never felt like it dragged or overstayed its welcome. For a PG-13 film, I found it surprisingly dark too, with fallout of the bombings being front and center at numerous points, not to mention several moments of peril involving children. Because it doesn't pull its punches, the emotional heft is earned and you find yourself quickly rooting for George to find his way back to his mother, unscathed, and supporting Rita in her anger at the state for losing her son. Some story elements may be a tad unnecessary to the whole thing (e.g. George is forced to be a thief at one point), but I found these portions entertaining even if in hindsight I don't see their contribution as obvious to the broader story. 

Steve McQueen's direction elevates the material too. The framing and cinematography are strong, special effects - when needed - are fantastic, pacing and editing are tight, and the original score was surprisingly moving. He had double duty as writer and director, and aside from the focus areas I mentioned earlier, this is a cohesive vision from him. 

Lastly, we have strong performances from all: Saoirse Ronan - which is no surprise - and child actor Elliott Heffernan. Given that so much of the film focuses on children and George's journey, there's a version of this with the wrong child actor that would have severely impacted the movie. Luckily, Heffernan is quite good and outshines all of his child actor peers in the film too. Moments of the film demand a lot from him and he rises to the occasion, which is always exciting to see with younger stars. 

Blitz is an easy recommendation given you can stream it in the comfort of your own home. Its story is important and there are elements here that a large variety of moviegoers will find value in and enjoy, despite the sometimes heavy material. 

Rapid Rath's Review Score | 8/10