The Personal History Of David Copperfield

This review may contain spoilers!

This film totes an impressive ensemble cast who unfortunately cannot bring this confused and inconsistent film into high regard. I would give The Personal History Of David Copperfield a 4.5/10.

An adaptation of Charles Dickens' David Copperfield, this feature follows the title role as he endures a series of trying obstacles throughout his young life. This film is presented as a witty comedy of sorts, with a very unusual method of presentation for a period-set feature. The story itself maintained a really strong introduction and I thought the way David Copperfield was introduced and explored was quite interesting. Throughout the film I found that most of the charm within the narrative came from the wit in the dialogue, as well as neat moments of character introspection that happened from scene to occasional scene. The cinematography for this film tended to be quite the impressive venture, particularly in the first and final acts. There were some real attempts to show that this was a narrative reflecting upon itself by a storyteller through some very expressive visual shots that really showed some vision at work.

Nikki Amuka-Bird, who played Mrs Steerforth, is a genuine regal matriarach throughout this piece; Amuka-Bird has this presence about her that enables her to enter a scene and immediately feel like one of the most powerful figures there. Aneurin Barnard, who played Steerforth, presents one of the more chaotic yet charismatic figures in this piece; Steerforth is a very foppish and self-destructive individual who becomes significantly more tragic as the plot wears on. Darren Boyd and Gwendoline Christie, who played Edward Murdstone and Jane Murdstone respectively, are fantastic antagonists for the first act of the feature; Christie is a seriously imposing invader while Boyd is a tyrannical stepfather for young Copperfield. Morfydd Clark, who played Clara Copperfield and Dora Spenlow, didn't give the strongest performance initially as Copperfield's mother but really came into her own with Dora; this ditzy yet high-energy role is a lot of fun and the source of some of the best comedy in the final act. Daisy May Cooper, who played Peggotty, is a strong kindly figure who really connects with both actors portraying Copperfield; Cooper clearly is a comedic powerhouse as she deals some of the funniest dialogue in the feature. Hugh Laurie, who played Mr Dick, is a very discombobulated individual at the best of times; Laurie presents a figure of great intellect who is almost plagued by a series of thoughts that invade his mind. Tilda Swinton, who played Betsey Trotwood, is right at home with this non-nonsense if not somewhat eccentric character; Swinton's role is to be a guiding presence in a household that never ceases to be turbulent. Jairaj Varsani, who played Young David Copperfield, has to be one of the best young performers I've seen in a few months; Varsani really embraces the way his role is lost in the character and worlds presented to him by other people. Ben Whishaw, who played Uriah Heep, is a really convincing antagonist for this feature; Whishaw's simpering and conniving figure is the idea of raw ambition turned sour and it is a treat to watch.

However, the best performance came from Dev Patel, who played David Copperfield. Dev Patel has always emerged as a strong leading performer in projects and he helms this one quite nicely too. Patel manages to preserve the charisma and kindness that is at the heart of the role which immediately endears him to the audience. I liked seeing Copperfield as this desperate yet determined individual, one who struggled to completely connect with others yet undeniably formed lasting social bonds. I felt that Patel had this incredible ability to emulate other performances, altering how his role interacted around other characters in order to bond with them. The points in the movie wherein Copperfield feels defeated and sees things slipping out of his control are really powerful and strongly played to. Furthermore, this is arole with a particular talent for hearing the voice and words of others and forming it into how he thinks and expresses himself that I think Patel worked really hard to nail perfectly. This was a seriously driven performance that Patel worked hard to achieve.

The Personal History Of David Copperfield showed a lot of promise when I sat down and first got engaged with it, but after twenty minutes it became clear the film couldn't maintain it's unique method of storytelling. What had been a compelling visual blend of storytelling and character introduction gave way to a more linear narrative that dragged the pacing right down. The film had started with some of the most interesting narration I had seen of late but this was canned rather suddenly. The way the film presented storylines was a manner of blending plots together initially but afterwards we were set on a very stagnant path, so Copperfield's journey throughout became dull to watch. The characters and situations started to turn to the melodramatic and even the plot around Uriah Heep as the antagonist felt like a rather two-dimensional direction to take. It was disappointing because the further the film went, the more it lost everything that had made it appealing going in. A nice, if not rather rushed final ten minutes did nothing to help a film that had clearly lost its way. The editing for this film started out pretty impressively and crafted a distinct visual presentation; but was abandoned not long into the film for very simple cutting and a much slower pace. The score for David Copperfield wasn't anything particularly noteworthy for a period film, leaning in to the familiar rather than attempting to craft something new.

Peter Capaldi, who played Mr Micawber, is a performer who tends to overact without ever finding some semblance of the essence of his role; Capaldi's temperament is for the melodramatic and whimsical but he lacks the finer ability to nurture a role within a comedic performance. Rosalind Eleazar, who played Agnes, is a poor fitting romantic lead against Patel; Eleazar seems content in the background and her role's personality is often dwarfed by others in a scene. Aimee Kelly, Anthony Welsh and Paul Whitehouse, who played Emily, Ham and Mr Peggotty respectively, are a collective group of characters who fail to really claim their place in this narrative; Kelly's erratic portrayal of her role's affair and Welsh's descent into a brooding persona are some of the more disappointing qualities of the feature. Benedict Wong, who played Mr Wickfield, really doesn't suit the role of confused drunkard; Wong struggles to find a natural approach to his character's place in the comedic wit of the piece.

Artemis Fowl

This review may contain spoilers!

We're only halfway into 2020 and already I think we might have one of the worst book to film adaptations of the decade on our hands. I would give Artemis Fowl a 2.5/10.

Artemis Fowl follows the titular role as he rushes to secure a magical fairy artefact after his father is kidnapped by a fairy criminal, in this blockbuster human clashes with fairy but unlikely alliances will prevail. While most of this feature really struggles to achieve anything inspired with the plot, I didn't enjoy the set up of the Fowl Manor siege. You really felt that the main role was outnumbered and outgunned which was what made things actually impressive when he positioned himself to still have authority in the face of such odds. I think the one triumph that came out of this film (aside from some performances from well recognised actors) was the visually impressive special effects; you felt transported whenever we were presented with the technically advanced fairy world and I really liked how images of fairies flying or the time bubble looked to the viewer.

Colin Farrell, who played Artemis Fowl Sr., wasn't in this film a lot but brought a seasoned hand to his scenes; Farrell built a strong father/son bond and delivered an insight into a world that felt magic before we even saw magical creatures. 

However, the best performance came from Judi Dench, who played Commander Root. This was a film that thrived when experienced characters were onscreen, and none had to do more leg work than Judi Dench. Commander Root is the sort of gruff, no-nonsense role that you would hope from a military character; grizzled from years of experience and the intensity of calling the shots. I think Dench handled this role really well because you see the moments in which the character can be soft to other roles she likes, or the moments of minute self-doubt in her tactical decisions. This leads to some good character conflict around whether she is still capable of leading her force, having to stake her claim and dig her heels in as the film progresses. Dench is a generous performer who gives time to other performers and seeks out what a scene needs to thrive; the only pity is that the rest of the film didn't rise to the standards she had very clearly set herself.

As someone who grew up reading the Artemis Fowl books there was a part of me being disappointed on two levels; on one hand this failed to even remotely resemble a faithful adaptation, while on the other hand this film failed to satisfy me in any way as a fan of cinema. The film foregoes the more complicated route of having a young criminal mastermind and instead opts for a bland child genius protagonist who struggles to fit in; this leading role fails to ever excite the audience as a title character so this change seems ill advised from the start. The entire film opts to mold a story around a magical artefact that all involved parties are racing to get, there's the usual ticking clock and a big villain in the shadows who is never revealed (probably out of a desperate hope for a sequel). There are several big moments of action but they come across as goofy and the actors struggle to interact with the visual effects crafted around them. The entire direction of this piece feels misguided, like someone has taken a hodge podge of puzzle pieces from five different boxes and tried to make something fairly coherent. The film struggles as a family blockbuster as it lacks charm and humour, every piece of 'funny' dialogue falls flat or is poorly delivered. I watched this movie constantly feeling it might have fit back when features like Spy Kids were a big deal, because it felt like a feature at least a decade behind the times. The cinematography was all over the place, the framing often looking sloppy and not very visually appealling. The score for the feature was about as generic as you could get, a lot of empty sound to try lift things a bit for the action scenes and little more.

Josh Gad, who played Mulch Diggums, has done the rounds with Disney for a littlw while now but this is a role that he really couldn't master; the tough criminal side and Gad's natural bearing towards light-hearted comedy clashed almost constantly in his portrayal. Ferdia Shaw, who played Artemis Fowl, is one of the most lacklustre young performers I've seen of late; Shaw would have struggled with a supporting role and completely failed with the pressure of the main role. Nonso Anozie, who played Domovoi Butler, neither feels like the toughest character in a scene nor seems to have any real sense about the nature of his character; Anozie seems torn between a stoic role and a more comedic performance and this split portrayal really doesn't do wonders. Lara McDonnell, who played Holly Short, had the most potential of the cast but never quite managed to stick the landing as the tough LEP officer; this role probably needed someone older to fit the bill but McDonnell really gave it a solid shot. Joshua McGuire, who played Briar Cudgeon, is a poor excuse for the only true antagonist we get to see; McGuire's highly strung officer just pales next to Dench and doesn't ever feel like a genuine threat. Tamara Smart, who played Juliet, is one of the most unnecessary roles in the film and literally takes up screen time she doesn't need to; Smart's only purpose is to give Shaw another child performer to act against until more main cast can arrive into the plot. Nikesh Patel, who played Chief Tech Officer Foaly, is your usual exposition mouthpiece in lieu of a genuine character for this feature; Patel is now one of the small pool of actors who've had to whinny to portray a centaur, yikes.