Many of the aspects of this film, in fact all of the aspects of this film, are great, bar one. Unfortunately, that aspect is the most important. The cinematography is outstanding, capturing amazing scenes and putting Turner in his paintings before he's painted them. The scenery in the period locations is also first class. The acting is perfect - the maid, Hannah, Turner, his father - in fact all the cast are excellent. But what lets it down, and what is unforgivable, is that even with an understanding of Turner's life this "biopic" doesn't tell a story. It is an endless series of scenes that attempt to be clever and give you a thousand windows into his life. But those windows are just that - they don't hint at a broader life, they just give you an impression of the man that you could get from a ten second description of him. The critics, I think, forgive a lack of story, but viewers - quite rightly - expect something more. There can be no spoilers for this film, there's no story to spoil.
Review of Mr. Turner
