Welcome to KIWIreviews - product reviews
•  click here to return to the homepage  •
Welcome visitor.Join us or log in

Product reviews on kiwireviews.nz : Friday 29th March 2024 - 06:28:58

QuickSearch for:    What is QuickSearch?
QuickJump to:    What is QuickJump?
logon name: p/w:  

I want to:

You Are Here...

Home > Categories > Movies > Drama > The Current War review

« Everyday Strength reviewEveryday StrengthDownhill reviewDownhill »

Score: 7.8/10  [1 review]
3 out of 5
ProdID: 8579 - The Current War
Directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon

The Current War
Price:
TBC
Sample/s Supplied by:
Click to search for all products supplied by Roadshow (NZ) Ltd

Disclosure StatementFULL DISCLOSURE: A number of units of this product have, at some time, been provided to KIWIreviews by Roadshow (NZ) Ltd or their agents for the sole purposes of unbiased, independent reviews. No fee was requested, offered nor accepted by KIWIreviews or the reviewers themselves - these are genuine, unpaid consumer reviews.
Available:
in cinemas 27th February 2020

The Current War product reviews

Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse -- the greatest inventors of the industrial age -- engage in a battle of technology and ideas that will determine whose electrical system will power the new century. Backed by J.P. Morgan, Edison dazzles the world by lighting Manhattan. But Westinghouse, aided by Nikola Tesla, sees fatal flaws in Edison's direct current design. Westinghouse and Tesla bet everything on risky and dangerous alternating current.

Check out Roadshow (NZ) Ltd onlineClick here to see all the listings for Roadshow (NZ) Ltd Visit their website They do not have a Twitter account Check them out on Facebook They do not have a YouTube Channel They do not have a Pinterest board They do not have an Instagram channel They do not have a TikTok channel



Tags:
ac   benedict cumberbatch   damien molony   dc   electricity   katherine waterston   matthew macfadyen   michael shannon   nicholas hoult   nikola tesla   the current war   thomas edison   tom holland   tuppence middleton
Other listings you may be interested in:
Die Hard 4.0 : Live Free or Die HardDie Hard 4.0 : Live Free or Die Hard
Rating: 8.9
The Day the Earth Stood Still - 2008The Day the Earth Stood Still - 2008
Rating: 8.5
Easy VirtueEasy Virtue
Rating: 9.5
Last NightLast Night
Rating: 3.5
I Don't Know How She Does ItI Don't Know How She Does It
Rating: 8.3
MegamindMegamind
Rating: 9.1
Stuart LittleStuart Little
Rating: 6.8
Home Alone 2: Lost in New YorkHome Alone 2: Lost in New York
Rating: 6.8
Better Watch OutBetter Watch Out
Rating: 8.0
CocoCoco
Rating: 10.0
Kiwi ChristmasKiwi Christmas
Rating: 7.8
My Little Pony: The MovieMy Little Pony: The Movie
Rating: 7.8
MidwayMidway
Rating: 6.0

Product reviews...

Everyone is welcome to post a review. You will need to Join up or log in to post yours.

Click here to read the profile of alexmoulton

Review by: alexmoulton (Alex)
Dated: 25th of February, 2020

Link to this review Report this review

 

This Review: 7.8/10
Pay to see it again:
Score 7 out of 10
Attention Span:
Score 8 out of 10
Believeability:
Score 9 out of 10
Personal Choice:
Score 7 out of 10

In my eyes, to really enjoy a film I need to either be emotionally engaged or I need to learn something; educational or emotional; feel or think. There has been enough mucking around during production of The Current War that neither side of the coin gets the execution they deserve. Without going into details, this film was rushed into an early release in 2017 and after failing to make a ripple, the film was shelved for two years until Director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon released a Director's cut.

Marketing for the film has been rather limited, and that will likely come at the detriment of the audience's expectations. Not through any major faults in the film, but because it involves the names Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla. There is a lot of information online about the differences between the two inventors, but unless you are well versed on all aspects of the American electrical revolution, that limited knowledge will lead you towards a false expectation of what the film is about.

While Tesla does make an appearance, this story is about Edison and George Westinghouse. While Edison's light-bulbs are present, this story is about electrical currents that are already known. It is a story about the internal politics between inventors, with very little to do with the actual art of inventing.

What is undeniable, is that the pacing is unstoppable. It consistently moves; the frenetic cinematography from Chung-hoon Chung is overly extravagant, but does not allow this film--flooded with dialogue--a chance to stagnate. The pacing, however, doesn't quite make up for the lack of content, and even reduces the impact of what should have been hugely emotional moments. The moments that would endear the audience with a character (such as a tragedy or loss) are skimmed over, and the aspects of the story line that pique your curiosity (a.k.a. the more technical elements of the creation of an invention) are almost missing entirely.

The musical compositions by Dustin O'Halloran and Hauschka are epic in many ways, trying to manipulate an emotional response to several scenes that don't match the score in magnitude. The music goes above and beyond, with such an unnecessary force that it breaks the audience's connection with the story.

The cast are too perfectly picked. Benedict Cumberbatch plays yet another emotionally cold, but cocky intellectual that thinks he is the smartest person in any room; his performance as Thomas Edison simply a carbon copy of his Doctor Strange or Sherlock Holmes adaptations. Nicholas Hoult is another modest, but brilliantly smart character with good intentions; his Tesla coming off not dissimilar to Beast from the X-Men franchise. Even Michael Shannon is another powerful and domineering antagonist, whose Westinghouse shares many similarities with Man of Steel's General Zod.

Not all acting performances can be tarred with the same brush, though. Michael Shannon - while initially a shaky rendition - does warm into the role, and has one of the only well-executed character development arcs in the story, helped by a solid supporting performance from his in-movie wife Marguerite (portrayed by Katherine Waterstone).

When The Current War gets things right, it evokes such a strong sense of wonder, and there are certainly moments throughout the films 107-minute run-time that meet that requirement. Edison's monologue about finding the right filament, Westinghouse's determination for the highest quality product, Tesla's unconstrained genius. These are the elements that hook you in and make you want to see more. Alas, they are only a tease of what the film could have been with a stronger script, and fewer typecast actors.

Random listing from 'Movies'...

Score: 7.3
Product reviews for listing 4297: Bruce Almighty
Directed by Tom Shadyac

Product image for Bruce AlmightyA guy who complains about God too often is given almighty powers to teach him how difficult it is to run the world.

Go to the listing

General Disclaimer...

Protected by Copyscape Plagiarism Checker - Do not copy content from this page. Creative Commons Licence All trademarks, images and copyrights on this site are owned by their respective companies.
KIWIreviews is an independent entity, part of the Knock Out News Group. This is a free public forum presenting user opinions on selected products, and as such the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinion of kiwireviews.nz and are protected under New Zealand law by the "Honest Opinion" clause of the Defamation Act of 1992. KIWIreviews accepts no liability for statements made on this site, on the premise that they have been submitted as the true and honest opinions of the individual posters. In most cases, prices and dates stated are approximate and should be considered as only guidelines.

"Computer games don't affect kids. I mean if Pac-Man affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms, munching magic pills and listening to repetitive electronic music."
Kristian Wilson, Nintendo, Inc, 1989