Film Review: "Trolls Band Together" (2023).

"There are some new trolls on the block" in Trolls Band Together. This animated musical comedy film co-directed by Walt Dohrn and Tim Heitz, and written by Elizabeth Tippet, based on the Good Luck Trolls dolls from Thomas Dam, and produced by DreamWorks Animation. It serves as the sequel to Trolls World Tour (2020), and the third installment in the Trolls franchise. After two films of true friendship and relentless flirting, Poppy and Branch are now officially, finally, a couple! As they grow closer, Poppy discovers that Branch has a secret past. He was once part of her favorite boyband phenomenon, BroZone, with his four brothers: Floyd, John Dory, Spruce and Clay. BroZone disbanded when Branch was still a baby, as did the family, and Branch hasn’t seen his brothers since. But when Branch’s bro Floyd is kidnapped for his musical talents by a pair of nefarious pop-star villains—Velvet and Veneer—Branch and Poppy embark on a harrowing and emotional journey to reunite the other brothers and rescue Floyd from a fate even worse than pop-culture obscurity.

In late November 2021, it was announced that a third Trolls film would be released in theaters on November 17, 2023. Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake were confirmed to reprise their voice roles as Poppy and Branch. In late March 2023, Eric André, Kid Cudi, Daveed Diggs, Troye Sivan, Camila Cabello, Amy Schumer, Andrew Rannells, RuPaul, and Zosia Mamet rounded out the film's voice cast. Moreover, Dohrn returned to direct the third installment. Heitz was later announced as co-director. In addition, DreamWorks Animation revealed the official title, Trolls Band Together. According to Shay, the idea for the film came about right after Trolls (2016). Although the film was predominantly CGI animation, the film includes some 2D animation sequences done by Titmouse, Inc., with animation styles inspired by Yellow Submarine (1968) and Fantasia (1940). The film is the last film for the franchise to be animated by DWA Glendale, as past of layoffs due to cost cutting measures, with Sony Imageworks taking over as animation supervisor for future DreamWorks films, including Trolls sequels.

The film stars the voice talents of Kendrick, Timberlake, André, Cudi, Diggs, Sivan, Cabello, Schumer, Rannells, RuPaul, and Mamet. Timberlake and Kendrick's performances give this fun, colorful, and infectious musical sequel families will love some harmony.

The film is about the same as the first where it's a visually beautiful spectacle, but its weak script keeps it away from being anything more than a forgettably generic kids flick. It's a journey well-trodden, but nonetheless elevated by tight visuals, high-energy, and good vibes that make for some easy-breezy viewing. It is nowhere near the quality of the first film, with fleeting fun attached to mostly forgettable songs. What's missing is the wonderful weirdness that made the original ilm the strangest children's entertainment since H.R. Pufnstuf. Story wise, this one feels formulaic with less of an edge. The songs are kinda boring and the plot's pretty rote, but this film is shockingly beautiful and thought-through in all the design elements.

Simon says Trolls Band Together receives:

Also, see my review for Trolls World Tour and Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken.

Film Review: "Napoleon" (2023).

"He came from nothing. He conquered everything." This is Napoleon. This historical drama film directed by Ridley Scott, and written by David Scarpa. The film details the checkered rise and fall of the iconic French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, as well as his relentless journey to power through the prism of his addictive, volatile relationship with his one true love, Josephine.

In mid October 2020, the same day his film The Last Duel (2021) wrapped filming, Scott announced the film, at that point provisionally called Kitbag, as his next project for 20th Century Studios, which he would direct and produce from a script penned by Scarpa. Joaquin Phoenix was reportedly attached to star as the French general and emperor, marking his second collaboration with Scott after Gladiator (2000). In January 2021, Apple Studios announced its commitment to finance and produce the film, with shooting scheduled to take place in the United Kingdom in 2022. In September, Jodie Comer was attached to star as Josephine. However, in early January 2022, Comer revealed her departure from the film due to scheduling changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Ultimately, Vanessa Kirby was announced as her replacement. In addition, the film had been retitled to Napoleon. The historian Lorris Chevalier, who worked on The Last Duel, became the historical advisor. By February, Tahar Rahim, Ben Miles, Ludivine Sagnier, Matthew Needham, Ian McNeice, and Rupert Everett rounded out the film's cast. At the same time, principal photography commenced and took place throughout England, France, Malta and Morocco. The film was shot under the working title Marengo, a reference to the Battle of Marengo in 1800.

The movie is distinguished by the uniform excellence of its actors, Phoenix, in particular, gives a performance of striking stillness and reserve. Phoenix's performance as the titular figure is actually worth the cost of admission, and there is exemplary supporting work by Kirby, Rahim, Miles, Sagnier, Needham, McNeice, and Everett.

Storytelling is sacrificed for spectacle, resulting in something breathtakingly epic yet partially unsatisfying and unfortunately forgettable. Even with the prospect of a four-hour director's cut, Scott's film remains a rather uneventful epic with a story that fails to completely engage. The film is an extraordinary work of art, an examination of the titular figure works because of sheer filmmaking prowess and good, old-fashioned storytelling. Any film daring to touch upon the life of the French military figure deserves to be appreciated for its candor & for its delicacy. Plus, come on, it's Ridley Scott. Scott's visual style and knack for epic storytelling carries us through, and makes his latest work passable, if not memorable, oversized entertainment. Scott's battles are ferocious things of grim beauty -- bloody, personal and deafening crashes of armored men and horses colliding at full gallop. Scott's interesting but uneven effort doesn't disappoint when it comes to Napoleon's sieges, which all has scale and a truly frightening quality. You may not leave the theater feeling better educated about history or enlightened about the titular figure, but you will leave satisfied that the filmmakers have delivered one-hundred-and-fifty-eight minutes of exciting, visceral cinema.

Simon says Napoleon receives:

Also, see my review for House of Gucci.

Film Review: "Godzilla Minus One" ("ゴジラ-1.0") (2023).

"Postwar Japan. From zero to minus." This is Godzilla Minus One (ゴジラ-1.0). This Japanese kaiju film written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki, and produced by Toho Studios. It is the 37th film in the Godzilla franchise, Toho's 33rd Godzilla film, and the fifth film in the franchise's Reiwa era. Japan is already devastated by the war when a new crisis emerges in the form of a giant monster.

In 2019, following the release of his film The Great War of Archimedes, Yamazaki was hired to direct. He began preparing the project and initially spending a year developing the script, however, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the crew to postpone filming for a few years, allowing the script to be rewritten. The script was reportedly completed over the course of three years. Yamazaki said that the worldwide anxiety and government unreliability during the pandemic was one of his major inspirations for the story. He also expressed that he hopes the movie reflects these events clearly. Yamazaki later revealed that he was inspired by Shusuke Kaneko's Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (ゴジラ・モスラ・キングギドラ 大怪獣総攻撃) (2001) —which he has cited as his favorite Godzilla film — while writing the script. Yamazaki was also heavily influenced by Godzilla (ゴジラ) (1954). The film marks Yamazaki's third time working on a production utilizing Godzilla. His first being Always: Sunset on Third Street 2 (Always 続・三丁目の夕日) (2007) which featured the fictional monster in the film's dream-like opening. During preproduction on the film, he also directed and created the effects for Seibu-en Amusement Park's motion simulator attraction Godzilla the Ride: Giant Monsters Ultimate Battle (2021). Godzilla's appearance in the film was closely based on the design seen in the 2021 CGI short film that accompanied the amusement park attraction in the city of Tokorozawa. The short was also a period piece set in the Showa period (1926-1989), with Yamazaki considering the era inseparable from the genre. Yamazaki would reuse that design with a few alterations on the proportions for this film. In late February 2022, Robot Communications announced the film, under the working title Blockbuster Monster Movie (超大作怪獣映画), via a casting call on their official website. Robot stated Yamazaki would direct and that the film would be presented by Toho. The next day, HuffPost writer Kenji Ando mentioned the conjecture from fans on social media whether the film would be a remake of the 1954 film. Ando also noted that it is a period piece set in postwar Japan between 1945 and 1947, citing Yamazaki's comments from an interview regarding his depiction of Godzilla in Always: Sunset on Third Street 2: "You can't have Godzilla unless it's the Shōwa era." This would mark the first Godzilla movie to be a period piece, set during the American occupation of Japan and almost a decade before the original film. In early November, Toho declared that Yamazaki's unnamed kaiju project is a Godzilla film, at an event celebrating the franchise's 68th anniversary known as "Godzilla Day". The company also revealed that the film had completed filming and had entered post-production with a targeted November 3, 2023 release date. Yamazaki was also named the film's writer and visual effects supervisor. During a press conference on December 13, 2022, Toho's head of planning Hisashi Usui implied that the new film is connected to the 1954 film.

By mid March, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Yuki Yamada, Munetaka Aoki, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Sakura Ando, and Kuranosuke Sasaki were cast. At the same time, principal photography commenced and wrapped in early June. Filming took place in Kantō, Aichi prefecture and Chūbu, Nagano prefecture, Honshu. According to Robot's website, the film would be set between 1945 and 1947, so there would be restrictions on the extras' costume sizes, hairstyles (declaring that long-haired men must have perms), and hair colors (declaring that hair dyeing would not be allowed). The production had an estimated budget of US$15 million, under 10% of the franchise's previous installment, Godzilla vs. Kong (2021). The visual effects were handled by Shirogumi at their studio in Chōfu, under the supervision of Yamazaki and direction of Kiyoko Shibuya. The team began creating the effects for the film around April 2022, per the TV Shinshu special about Yamazaki that was released the following year. Shirogumi revealed by opening a recruitment call for visual effects designers and compositors in August 2022, that post-production had begun and visual effects were taking place from that same month until January 2023; they later changed the dates to between November 2022 and February 2023. Their website also stated that the 3D animation software Houdini and Maya would be used to design and Nuke would be used to composite the visual effects. In late May 2023, post-production concluded, after the visual effects were finished. During an interview alongside Higuchi, Yamazaki noted that Godzilla's destruction in the film are inspired by Shin Higuchi's effects from Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris (ガメラ3 邪神〈イリス〉覚醒) (1999). Instead of creating a new roar, the crew simply played the original Godzilla roar over loud speakers and recorded the audio.

The film stars Kamiki, Hamabe, Yamada, Aoki, Yoshioka, Ando, and Sasaki. Yamazaki's vision and the cast's portrayals of the cast of characters are thoughtful and emotional without straying too far from the Godzilla formula established in films like the original 1954 Gojira.

Populist entertainment at its finest, the film is an enormously effective one, full of exciting ocean and aerial combat, engaging story twists, and compelling characterization. A very entertaining and offbeat spin on Japan's titular giant kanji and the national mood at the time, and an intriguing if somewhat far-fetched "what if" about the country's long, painful journey after World War II.

Simon says Godzilla Minus One (ゴジラ-1.0) receives:

Also, see my reviews for Stand by Me Doraemon 2 and Godzilla: The Planet Eater (ゴジラ: 星を喰う者).

Film Review: "Thanksgiving" (2023).

"There will be no leftovers" in Thanksgiving. This slasher film directed by Eli Roth, and written by Jeff Rendell. After a Black Friday riot ends in tragedy, a mysterious Thanksgiving-inspired killer terrorizes Plymouth, Massachusetts – the birthplace of the holiday. Picking off residents one by one, what begins as random revenge killings are soon revealed to be part of a larger, sinister holiday plan. Will the town uncover the killer and survive the holidays…or become guests at his twisted holiday dinner table?

After director Roth created the fake movie trailer, Thanksgiving, for the film Grindhouse (2007), plans for a feature-length adaptation began. In 2010, Roth confirmed that he was penning the script with Rendell and that he hoped to complete it once he was done with press for The Last Exorcism (2010). By August 2012, Jon Watts and Christopher D. Ford were set to pen the screenplay with Roth and Rendell after they finished writing the Roth-produced Clown (2014). In June 2016, Roth revealed that the script still needed work in order for the film to live up to the trailer. In February 2019, reports indicated that Roth was slated to direct an undisclosed horror film for Miramax the next month in Boston, Massachusetts. It was speculated that the film could potentially be Thanksgiving but was unable to verify. By mid March 2023, Patrick Dempsey, Rick Hoffman, Gina Gershon, and Lynne Griffin were cast. At the same time, principal photography commenced and wrapped in late April. Filming took place throughout Ontario, Canada.

The film stars Dempsey, Hoffman, Gershon, and Griffin. It's completely goofball stuff, but engaging and, at times, exciting, giving a notoriously lazy genre a firm towel snap as it strives to turn a modest budget into a nail-biter, partly thanks to the performances.

The film is one of the best in the endless cycle of slasher flicks, largely because it arrived before the genre got set within its tired and overly familiar parameters. A well-made excursion into the bloody unknown, driven by characterization and modulated by a tone that knows when to amplify the scares and when to back away from them, usually at the service of a story with the morbid curiosity to investigate further. Like Carpenter, Roth avoids graphic gore, focussing instead on suggestion and using careful mise-en-scene, editing and use of music to build suspense. Even if it was aiming to cash in on the Thanksgiving setting, the connection to the holiday only heightens the absurd and entertaining horrors contained within its run time. While I have a great amount of love for the slasher subgenre as a whole, there's a real charm to the film that makes it a standout amongst its cinematic peers. An ideal weekend movie, the sort of entertaining modest-budget horror item that will work best for audiences looking to unwind and have fun after a long, busy work week. For a cheap cash-in (which this no doubt is), there's still a solid amount going on under Thanksgiving Day's hood, even as the bodies begin to pile toward the ceiling.

Simon says Thanksgiving receives:

Also, see my review for The House with a Clock on Its Walls.

Film Review: "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" (2023).

"You're invited to return to the games" with The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. This dystopian action film directed by Francis Lawrence, adapted by Michael Lesslie and Michael Arndt, and based on the 2020 novel of the same title by Suzanne Collins. It serves as a prequel to The Hunger Games (2012), and is the fifth installment in The Hunger Games film series. Experience the story sixty-four years before Katniss Everdeen volunteered as tribute, and decades before Coriolanus Snow became the tyrannical President of Panem. The film follows a young Coriolanus who is the last hope for his failing lineage, the once-proud Snow family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol. With his livelihood threatened, Snow is reluctantly assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird, a tribute from the impoverished District 12. But after Lucy Gray's charm captivates the audience of Panem, Snow sees an opportunity to shift their fates. With everything he has worked for hanging in the balance, Snow unites with Lucy Gray to turn the odds in their favor. Battling his instincts for both good and evil, Snow sets out on a race against time to survive and reveal if he will ultimately become a songbird or a snake.

In August 2011, Lionsgate expressed interest in spin-offs of The Hunger Games film series, with intentions to form a writers' room to explore the concept. In June 2019, it was announced that the company was working with Collins on an adaptation of her 2020 novel. By April 2020, Collins and Lionsgate confirmed that plans were underway for the film's development. Lawrence was later confirmed to return to direct, after doing so for the prior three films in the series since The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Collins, Arndt and Lesslie were hired to pen the adaptation. Concerned over the book's length, Lawrence briefly considered to split the film in two parts like he did with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, but desisted due to his regrets over that decision. By early July, Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Josh Andrés Rivera, Viola Davis, Peter Dinklage, Jason Schwartzman, Hunter Schafer, Fionnula Flanagan, Burn Gorman, and Ashley Liao were cast. In addition, James Newton Howard confirmed that he would return to score the film. Cody Fern, Lucky Blue Smith, Michael Ridley, and Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen were considered for the role of Coriolanus Snow. Maiah Wynne, Thomasin McKenzie, Andrea Chaparro, and Kaylee Bryant were considered for the role of Lucy Gray Baird. At the same time, principal photography commenced and wrapped in early November. Filming took place throughout Germany and Poland.

The fim stars Blyth, Zegler, Rivera, Davis, Dinklage, Schwartzman, Schafer, Flanagan, Gorman, and Liao. The strength of Coriolanus Snow as a character and Blyth's performance is what makes the film so compelling.

Even by blockbuster standards, this is some heavily recycled material, and it's pretty long. But it's well done and will spirit away a cold Saturday afternoon nicely.

Simon says The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes receives:

Also, see my review for Slumberland and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2.

Film Review: "The Marvels" (2023).

"Higher. Further. Faster. Together." This is The Marvels. This superhero film directed by Nia DaCosta, written by Megan McDonnell and Elissa Karasik, based on the Marvel Comics characters created by Roy Thomas, Gene Colan, Roger Stern, John Romita Jr., Sana Amanat, Stephen Wacker, G. Willow Wilson, Adrian Alphona, and Jamie McKelvie, and produced by Marvel Studios. It is the sequel to the film Captain Marvel (2019), a continuation of the television miniseries Ms. Marvel (2022), and the 33rd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. But unintended consequences see Carol shouldering the burden of a destabilized universe. When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, her powers become entangled with that of Jersey City super-fan, Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel, and Carol's estranged niece, now S.A.B.E.R. astronaut Captain Monica Rambeau. Together, this unlikely trio must team-up and learn to work in concert to save the universe as "The Marvels."

In July 2019, at San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel Studios confirmed plans to make a sequel to Captain Marvel. In January 2020, development began with McDonnell was hired after working on the television miniseries WandaVision (2021) to pen the script, and Brie Larson was set to reprise her role. In April, the film was scheduled for a July 8, 2022 release date. In August, DaCosta was hired to direct. The studio had also considered Olivia Wilde and Jamie Babbit as directors. In December, Feige announced the film with a November 11, 2022 release date, and Teyonah Parris was revealed to be reprise her role alongside Iman Vellani. By late July 2021, Zawe Ashton, Gary Lewis, Park Seo-joon, and Samuel L. Jackson rounded out the film's cast. At the same time, principal photography commenced and wrapped in mid August under the working title Goat Rodeo. Filming took place throughout Italy and England, as well as in California and New Jersey, and at Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England. In October, the film's release was delayed to February 17, 2023. In January 2022, Laura Karpman was hired to compose the score for the film. In April 2022, the film's release was moved again to July 28, 2023. Finally, in February 2023, the film's release was delayed to November 10, 2023.

The film stars Larson, Parris, Vellani, Ashton, Lewis, Park, and Jackson. I wasn't a big fan of this movie and some of the performances. I was surprised with how low the stakes in this story were. Larson, Harris, Vellani, Ashton, Park and Jackson were wasted.

The film is undoubtedly one of the worst movies of the year and a clear indication for Marvel to start making movies again instead of peddling products that promote future products. The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase Shoulder Shrug kicked off with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and now unfortunately continues with this film. 

Simon says The Marvels receives:

Also, see my reviews for Candyman and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Film Review: "Cyberbunker: The Criminal Underworld" ("Cyberbunker: Darknet in Deutschland") (2023).

From Netflix and Germany comes Cyberbunker: The Criminal Underworld (Cyberbunker: Darknet in Deutschland). This German documentary film directed by Kilian Lieb and Max Rainer. Two worlds collide in an idyllic German tourist town: A group of mysterious Dutchmen and their eccentric leader Xennt want to take over a vast NATO bunker under the town. Xennt promises the village a prosperous future, but doubts spread among the residents. As an underworld manifests itself beneath the streets of the quaint town of Traben-Trarbach, its people puzzle over Xennt's true intentions.

Located in the Netherlands and Germany, Internet service provider, CyberBunker, "hosted services to any website except child pornography and anything related to terrorism", according to its website. The company first operated in a former NATO bunker in Zeeland, and later in another former NATO bunker in Traben-Trarbach, Germany. CyberBunker served as a web host for The Pirate Bay and as one of the many WikiLeaks mirrors. CyberBunker has also been accused of being a host for spammers, botnet command-and-control servers, malware and online scams. The company has also been involved in Border Gateway Protocol hijacks of IP addresses used by Spamhaus and the United States Department of Defense. In March 2013, the Spamhaus hijack was part of an exceptionally large distributed denial of service attack launched against them. Because of the size of this attack it received considerable mainstream media attention. The company is named for its initial location in a former Cold War bunker. As of 2013, CyberBunker listed its address as the bunker, but the location of CyberBunker's servers was unclear. In September 2019, the German police stormed and shut down the company's operations in its bunker in Traben-Trarbach. Seven suspects were arrested.

The film, I had to keep reminding myself, shows us history in the making. I had to keep telling myself what I was seeing was important because most of it is otherwise pretty dull. Lieb and Rainer took on a massive project when they set out to make this film, and they succeed in capturing and unveiling this extraordinary moment in journalism that we, on the outside, never see. As much as it resembles a conspiracy thriller in which data encryption is a survival tactic, the film must be considered, above all, a journalistic achievement. The film is paced like the great paranoid-man political thrillers of the 1970s. Lieb and Rainer make this potentially-tedious exercise seem claustrophobic in the most enthralling way. Movies don't put themselves together. Every moment, every cut, and every camera angle is an editorial choice. So is the structure of the movie, which builds its mix of fear and danger sure-footedly. Vital, urgent, and breathtaking. It is brilliant because it captures an intimate moment of history that will reverberate through the ages; a moment that would not have been captured had not a connection been made. Lieb and Rainer's documentary is proof that you can make an espionage thriller without car chases, bikini babes or martinis. One of its many interesting facets is how unlike the unpredictable doco model it turns out to be while still proving utterly engrossing from start to finish.

Simon says Cyberbunker: The Criminal Underworld (Cyberbunker: Darknet in Deutschland) receives:

Series Review: "All The Light We Cannot See" (2023).

"Based on Pulitzer Prize winning novel" comes All The Light We Cannot See. This drama series directed by Shawn Levy, adapted and developed by Steven Knight, and based on Anthony Doerr's Pulitzer Prize winning novel of the same title. In the final days of WWII, the paths of a blind French girl and a German soldier collide.

In March 2019, Netflix and 21 Laps Entertainment acquired the rights to develop a limited television series adaptation of Doerr's novel. In September 2021, it was announced that Netflix had given the production a series order consisting of four episodes, with Knight penning the adaptation and Levy directing all episodes. By mid March, Louis Hofmann, Lars Eidinger, Hugh Laurie, Mark Ruffalo, Marion Bailey, Felix Kammerer, Luna Wedler, Ed Skrein, Richard Sammel, and Aria Mia Loberti were cast. Loberti is blind in real life. She was a PhD candidate when she auditioned for an open call for actresses who are blind or vision impaired. Her service dog accompanied her during filming in Budapest. At the same time, principal photography commenced and wrapped in late July. Filming took place in France, Germany and Hungary. In late March, James Newton Howard was hired to compose the series' score. The main scenes (street, bombings, Saint-Malo liberation) being filmed in Villefranche-de-Rouergue. This town was chosen for its ancient central square similar to Saint-Malo's before the World War II destruction, and for its familiar 1940s style streets. A large part of the town was adapted for all production needs.

The series stars Hofmann, Eidinger, Laurie, Ruffalo, Bailey, Kammerer, Wedler, Skrein, Sammel, and Loberti. The film doesn't always trust the story to work on its own, so it wedges in a few too many big moments - and one egregious bit of product placement - but when it relies on the performances, it works. The series mixes European and American actors using French and German accents, a few German actors, and the occasional German word, creating a playfully successful illusion of German-ness. The story is tragic and captivating at the same time. Hoffmann and Loberti are outstanding.

It may span the most significant days of WWII, but the series pretty much boils down to French-blind-girl-lives-in-war-torn-France, blind-girl-connects-with-German-soldier - for four hours. The film has essentially been commissioned on the say-so of pinot-guzzling, chick-lit-licking chocoholics, and it shows. Boy, it's dull and pointless. The film manages to capture the horror of war and the tension of life in the LeBlanc household, and there are moments that will shock those not familiar with the story. Marie-Laure LeBlanc's story is stirring, and it holds the film up during most of its predictable parts, but the series never rises too far above that. The narration from Death only serves to make it more like some sort of fantastical fairy tale. Showing tragic events through a child's eyes can be a powerful storytelling strategy, but there's something altogether too cosy and bland about Levy's handling of the material here.

Simon says All The Light We Cannot See receives:

Also, see my review for The Adam Project.