The Longest Ride

This review may contain spoilers!

Another fantastic adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks' novel! I would give The Longest Ride a 7/10.

The writing within this film was what really struck me, it's a testament to the genre when a romance film can have the depth of understanding culture, history and personality in a way that is beyond cliche. That isn't diminishing the fact that this film had some generic dialogue here and there but the plot and themes as a whole worked in tandem to make an incredibly powerful film that celebrated love. The pacing was really good, each scene had a lot of value. I also really enjoyed the soundtrack and score both things working together to create the perfect harmony of moods displayed within this feature.

Scott Eastwood, who played Luke Collins, had a great performance as the male lead of this film; his closely guarded brooding figure felt real and more than just a generic macho figure. Oona Chaplin, who played Young Ruth, had a powerful and compassionate performance; her representation of immigration and another culture as well as that of a desire for motherhood and a celebration of art was spectacular to watch.

However the best performance of this feature was Britt Robertson, who played Sophia Danko. Robertson refused to be led down the path of stereotype, instead she was fun and refreshing to watch. Her performance was completely natural to observe which made the story all the more enjoyable. She was also perfect in how she bridged the past and present plots together.

The cinematography and editing within this film were very basic; just some stock shots and transitions that really didn't add much to the film as a whole.

Alan Alda, who played Ira Levinson, was a very dry performance; his onscreen presence and narration didn't exactly draw your attention as an audience member. Jack Huston, who played Young Ira, was a very withdrawn performance; you felt like the guy had more to give but really couldn't manage to hit the mark. Melissa Benoist, who played Marcia, was a very stock and standard best friend sorority girl performance; she was a token romance film character and so took away from what was otherwise a great film.