The Battle of Britain was a harrowing period of conflict for London during World War II and is ripe for good drama. Unfortunately, “Blitz” falls short.
As the name implies, the film takes place during the Blitz, a period of attacks on the United Kingdom by Germany toward the end of the Battle of Britain. That campaign was fought in the air, and included multiple bombing raids which had British residents seeking shelter.
Saoirse Ronan plays Rita in the film, a mother trying to keep her son George (Elliott Heffernan) safe during the bombings. Eventually, Rita decides to send George to the countryside where it will be safer. However, George desires to stay in London and leaps from the train he’s riding in an effort to get back home.
As mentioned in the lede, the Battle of Britain was a moment in World War II that offers cinematic potential. Considering this was helmed by a director whose film won an Oscar for Best Picture and stars one of the best actresses working today, it’s easy for one to go into this with high hopes.
That’s why it’s so disappointing that “Blitz” turned out to be such a dud. What really sinks the picture, written and directed by Steve McQueen, whose “12 Years a Slave” earned an Academy Award, is that it attempts to be two things at once, and fails.
Once George decides to hop off the train, in company with a couple other kids, he begins a journey to get back home that includes several antics that feel, well, out of place. It has the vibe of a Charles Dickens type story, channeling “Oliver Twist” or “Great Expectations,” but mixing it with a war-time setting and adding a racial component.
It’s a bizarre blend that never quite finds its footing. George keeps running into different characters, but never sticks around them long enough for those people to have real personality or for George to really learn any lessons. This is probably because this is only one half of the picture.
The other portion is centered on Rita worrying about the status of her son as she works in a munitions factory. During this section, the film decides to delve into the women of the factory fighting for better pay and the ability to have good shelter during the bombing raids.
It’s something good to spotlight, but like the racism George periodically experiences, it feels half-baked because the movie isn’t able to spend enough time on it. The tonal imbalance and the fact that the movie bites off more than it can chew with the dual stories hurts it overall.
Also not helping the movie is the young protagonist. Not to be too harsh on the child actor, but this is Heffernan’s first role, and, yeah, it shows.
What’s worse is it seems like McQueen wrote the character to be reserved and standoffish so Heffernan didn’t have to deliver as many lines and could be mostly quiet. The problem is George ends up not having much agency or charm and it becomes somewhat hard to connect with him.
The film at least looks good, having a vintage World War II aesthetic of muted colors and a setting with bombed buildings. Plus, Ronan is reliably good as usual. However, “Blitz” still feels like a really missed opportunity, especially when it could have been a good movie about a mother and son trying to survive this infamous battle together. 2 out of 5.
Matthew Liedke on Film 