Alright everyone! Tonight, we are reviewing yet another film. Unlike last night, where we dived into the world of superheroes, we are now going to dive into more realism by going into historical fiction. Set a few years after the Civil War, and based on a novel of the same name by Paulette Jiles, the movie that we are reviewing tonight is called News Of The World.
Plot: Set in the year 1870, a few years after the infamous Civil War came to an end, a Civil War veteran named Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd travels mostly around northern Texas to read, and tell the local news to the people in each of the towns that he travels to. During one of these travels, he comes across a young girl named Johanna/Cicada (Helena Zengel), who spent time with Native Americans after losing her parents. He then decides to take her with, and return her to where the rest of her family lives. Will he succeed in finding her family in the end?
Wow, this is such a great film! Yes, this film can probably have a True Grit sort of feel, minus some of the main characters seeking revenge against their enemies. Okay, I’m not saying that it’s the same plot, but News Of The World can possibly feel a little similar to True Grit at some points. In addition to this, the acting is just great. Not only do main characters that are played Tom Hanks, and Helena Zengel (who is surprisingly a German actress) work well off of each other, but the other cast members really know how to portray their respective characters. I mean we’re talking about how any of those who play any criminals, or outlaws, for example, know how to act like those types of characters really well. Same goes for say anyone playing any of the soldiers, you name it. In addition to all of this, there is surprisingly a very good score by James Newton Howard. I mean when it comes to him composing music for films, he seems to capture the music that played during certain periods, modern times, or even in fantasy settings, be it films like Vertical Limit, Hidalgo, RV, or even Disney films like Atlantis: The Lost Empire, and Treasure Planet. I mean, he may not be quite Hans Zimmer level when scoring films, but he certainly has this way of engaging the audience with his musical score. News Of The World is no exception. Quite honestly, I’m curious to see how his music is with the upcoming Disney film Raya & The Last Dragon, assuming that film actually does hit theaters, and Disney+ this March. But I digress! The cinematography is also really good. So much so that while watching this film, it almost seems to feel like you’re traveling in the Old West, especially Texas, without actually being there in person. Okay, that might sound hard to explain, but you should hopefully know what I mean once you likely see this film. Another positive in this film is that it does a fantastic job of showing how difficult life was back then, whether it be dealing with bandits, working harder to find food, certain forms of travel, and things like that. Honestly, after seeing films like News Of The World, people may find themselves truly appreciating how much easier it seems to be to work for food, being able to travel to different places much easier, and in a more rapid amount of time, and things like that.
The only area where this film could have probably been slightly better would be that Johanna’s backstory could have likely been explored a little more, and she, and Jefferson Kidd could have perhaps spent some time with some of the Native Americans that she spent time with before being rescued by Kidd. Maybe that’s nitpicking, but maybe it’s not. Feel free to share your input in regards to that! Finally, the movie teaches some valuable lessons about not giving up hope even when things may seem, or actually be difficult.
And that’s my review for News Of The World. What can I say? This is yet another winner once again. News Of The World most certainly needs to get some nominations at the Oscars, if not win some. It has great acting, really good music, mostly thought out characters, and, of course, excellent scenery. Not only that, but having people like Tom Hanks in this movie seems to make this film all the more enjoyable. Movies like this one, Forrest Gump, or even A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood, for example, are examples of why nearly every movie with Tom Hanks seems to be a hit. Finally, this movie seems to teach some very valuable lessons. Definitely try to see News Of The World if you haven’t yet. It is yet another just-see. Once again, it’s also big screen worthy, and one that should definitely be one of those films that draws crowds back into theaters.
Final Grade: A
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