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PaPaPappageno
Reviews
Departure (2019)
Should have been better
What looks like quite an expensive production is let down on a number of fronts. The plot is basically sound but the script is poor and has the stilted clumsy feel of something along the lines of "Air Crash Investigation for Dummies". The "office suite" that the team are working from is ridiculously slick and obviously designed by someone who has never been anywhere near an investigation team and their control centre. The direction is sub-par which leads to very good actors giving an uncharacteristically wooden performance. Far too many clichés thoughout, and to round it off the score borrows occasionally from other movies such as Bourne Identity, which this series cannot hold a candle to. Otherwise it's ok.
Diana (2013)
A thorough waste of 2 hours zzzzzzzz
I was surprised that the film focused so narrowly on the one affair. I had expected this to tell more of her story including the marriage problems that led to the separation in the first place. The film makers bottle out of even the slightest criticism of the royal establishment, despite this being, some may say, a root cause of Diana's problems in the first place. I guess it is no surprise that the film avoids tackling the controversies surrounding the fatal crash.
Although the film offers some sympathy for Diana, particularly over her treatment by the paparazzi and over her frequent separation from her boys, these moments are few and far between and there is no consideration of the treatment she received from her husband. For much of the film Diana is portrayed as a naive and desperate stalker.
Ms Watts, usually an accomplished actress, seems to have had too little reference material (surprising given the time Diana spent hounded by cameras) to work from, the result being a very tiresome overuse of only a few mannerisms and speech characteristics.
The script and the cinematography are both clumsy and more reminiscent of a 1980's TV movie. The one bright spot however might be the acting of Naveen Andrews who at least brings some presence to the screen.
In summary, this was a missed opportunity, so much more could have been said about the life of Diana, and this film fails her completely. I believe the producers were not seeking to make a critically acclaimed film but only to achieve a good return at the box office using the Diana "Brand" .... shameful!