By G. Mudalige, Jadetimes Staff
G. Mudalige is a Jadetimes news reporter covering Technology & Innovation
Steve McQueen, the acclaimed director behind 12 Years a Slave, returns to historical drama with Blitz, a film centered around the bombings of London during World War II. Premiering at the London Film Festival, Blitz aims to explore the devastation wrought by the German aerial attacks while showcasing the city’s resilience. Despite McQueen’s reputation for insightful storytelling, Blitz falls short of capturing the emotional depth and coherence needed to make a lasting impact.
At the heart of Blitz is George (Elliott Heffernan), a mixed-race nine-year-old boy living in London’s East End with his white mother, Rita (Saoirse Ronan), and his grandfather (played by Paul Weller). As the bombings intensify, George’s family makes the painful decision to evacuate him to the countryside. However, George escapes from the train and returns to London, determined to stay with his family amidst the chaos. While this premise sets up a potentially gripping narrative, McQueen’s sprawling approach dilutes the tension.
McQueen, who also wrote the script, struggles to streamline the story, leaving the film cluttered with disjointed scenes that lack focus. The film’s shifts between dark drama, sentimentality, and even Dickensian absurdity prevent a clear narrative from taking shape. This lack of coherence is most evident in the film’s numerous subplots, which introduce characters and themes that are ultimately abandoned, leaving viewers detached from the central storyline.
One of the most significant shortcomings of Blitz is the superficiality of its characters. While Ronan’s talent is undeniable, she is given little to work with beyond aimless wanderings through bombed-out streets. George, the film’s protagonist, doesn’t develop beyond a stereotypical brave child, while supporting characters like Harris Dickinson’s ARP warden and Hayley Squires’ cockney factory worker feel like stock figures rather than fully realized people. Even the film’s depiction of George’s experiences with racism, a point McQueen clearly wishes to emphasize, comes across as repetitive rather than poignant.
Visually, Blitz is a polished production, but this works against the film’s attempt to portray the gritty reality of wartime London. The spotless pubs and immaculate period costumes seem more appropriate for a museum exhibit than a city in the midst of destruction. Furthermore, the film leans heavily on well-worn tropes of wartime resilience, without offering fresh insights into the psychological or emotional toll of living through the Blitz.
While McQueen’s aim to showcase London’s racial diversity during WWII is commendable, the film's messaging feels heavy-handed. By repeatedly emphasizing racial themes without fully integrating them into the narrative, Blitz fails to create the powerful emotional resonance found in McQueen’s previous work.
With Blitz, Steve McQueen sets out to shed new light on one of the most harrowing chapters of London’s history, but the film’s disjointed narrative and underdeveloped characters ultimately undermine this effort. While there are moments of visual and emotional power, Blitz doesn’t deliver the consistent, gripping drama that its subject matter deserves. For a film about the relentless threat of death from the skies, Blitz lacks the urgency and emotional impact that could have made it truly memorable.
