Some more Incendiary Reviews
I had been editing an earlier post, but thought some people might miss them. I've posted these reviews in the forum earlier today.
Incendiary is a reaction to the world we now live in, where bombs are a constant threat. People in the world are vividly aware that the next big disaster is only a button press away. Rather than depress the audience, Incendiary aims to motivate. Telling us that no matter how badly we are beaten, we can never be broken. Unfortunately the ending falls flat, becoming too cheesy to truly inspire.
But there’s so much in this ambitious/opportunistic effort that misses the mark, from the one-dimensional characters to the craven plotting and sentimental tone… Maguire is playing with fire, and it blows up in her face.
Edit: I've added a few more reviews.
The following comes to an absolutely absurd and superficial comparison and I only will link to it for completeness sake. While the death of Heath Ledger is indeed sad, it holds no comparison to the events surrounding a fictional terrorist event. /film
All that being said, Williams is magnificent in her role -- though they beat the living hell out of her, to a point where it almost becomes ridiculous. Her British accent is flawless, coupled with the long hair and weight loss -- you'd have no idea it was Williams playing the part. I haven't read the book, nor have I lost a loved one in a terrorist attack, but I have to imagine the tremendous amount of grief displayed here is accurate. Another half hour to wrap things up would've been nice, but as it stands Incendiary has one of the best first acts I've seen at the festival so far. Too bad the same can't be said for the rest of it.
By the time Williams delivers her final Churchill-esque monologue to Osama, it is clear that Maguire wants the film to be a big-hearted plea for humanity on both sides. But by weakening the audience’s faith in the plot, she has undermined the impact of her message.
Williams, complete with solid north London accent, throws herself into the part of the mother and confirms that she is one of her generation’s most interesting actresses. Even when the film loses the plot, as it were, she is always compelling to watch.
Screen Daily's review does confirm that the movie is an adaptation of the book and that several key plot points were changed.
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