War does odd things to people. And by people I mean not only the participants of the war, but also the spectators. The direct onlookers of war will react in all sorts of misunderstood ways. Perhaps the group with the oddest reaction would be the children. They have so little insight into the true gravity of war that it becomes a game to them without the proper understanding. This is what Hope and Glory centers on. It's the story of Bill, a young boy living in London during World War II. He and his family are surviving in the midst of the incessant German air raids of the city. They must all cope with the destruction around them and it all plays out very offbeat and awkwardly lighthearted. I was a little put off from this film and very underwhelmed for its entirety, save a scene here and there.
First off, I wasn't that impressed by any of the characters. They all seemed to be pretty uninteresting or just annoying. The family consists of the mother, who is not a very likable or memorable character. She serves her purpose to the themes of the film and thats about it. The father is not present for a lot of the film because he joins the military. This happens to make him one of the more interesting characters. He has an underdeveloped relationship with his son, Bill, who is the main character of the film. His character is intriguing because he and the other boys he is friends with encompass the entire meaning of the film which is war through the eyes of a child. The other two children are to girls. The older sister is incredibly obnoxious and I never once cared for anything that happened with her. The younger sister doesn't do or say much and seems to be another character that serves her purpose and moves on from there. There are other characters who spring up in the film and all of them further the plot in different ways, but I couldn't emotionally invest in any of their relationships.
The plot of this film has a lot of potential and could have been really interesting, but it seemed to miss the mark a lot. There were moments in the film where I saw where the director was going and I could make out the point he was trying to make. Some of these statements on war and childhood had the potential to be quite profound, and with some fleshing out, they really are. But the execution just wasn't quite good enough to really spike my interest during the film. The film also seemed to drag a lot as it went on. Towards the end I started to wonder where any of this was actually going, and whether we were leading to some actual climax or not. Then the film ended suddenly and without any kind of climax or resolution, leaving me underwhelmed.
I wish I could have liked Hope and Glory more but I could never get into it. It was too easy to lose interest in and not a whole lot happened to keep the film lively. The characters weren't engaging enough to keep that dynamic of the film very entertaining either. Hope and Glory has a lot going for it and could have been a lot better. I can see why some people would like this film a lot, and they have every right to. I myself didn't get much out of this film. Plus, it's not really my cup of tea.
First off, I wasn't that impressed by any of the characters. They all seemed to be pretty uninteresting or just annoying. The family consists of the mother, who is not a very likable or memorable character. She serves her purpose to the themes of the film and thats about it. The father is not present for a lot of the film because he joins the military. This happens to make him one of the more interesting characters. He has an underdeveloped relationship with his son, Bill, who is the main character of the film. His character is intriguing because he and the other boys he is friends with encompass the entire meaning of the film which is war through the eyes of a child. The other two children are to girls. The older sister is incredibly obnoxious and I never once cared for anything that happened with her. The younger sister doesn't do or say much and seems to be another character that serves her purpose and moves on from there. There are other characters who spring up in the film and all of them further the plot in different ways, but I couldn't emotionally invest in any of their relationships.
The plot of this film has a lot of potential and could have been really interesting, but it seemed to miss the mark a lot. There were moments in the film where I saw where the director was going and I could make out the point he was trying to make. Some of these statements on war and childhood had the potential to be quite profound, and with some fleshing out, they really are. But the execution just wasn't quite good enough to really spike my interest during the film. The film also seemed to drag a lot as it went on. Towards the end I started to wonder where any of this was actually going, and whether we were leading to some actual climax or not. Then the film ended suddenly and without any kind of climax or resolution, leaving me underwhelmed.
I wish I could have liked Hope and Glory more but I could never get into it. It was too easy to lose interest in and not a whole lot happened to keep the film lively. The characters weren't engaging enough to keep that dynamic of the film very entertaining either. Hope and Glory has a lot going for it and could have been a lot better. I can see why some people would like this film a lot, and they have every right to. I myself didn't get much out of this film. Plus, it's not really my cup of tea.