Skip to main content

tick, tick...BOOM! (2021) Review

Spider-Man Can Sing

SCORE: 91/100

Directed by: Lin-Manuel Miranda
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Alexandra Shipp, Robin de Jesus

Synopsis: On the cusp of his 30th birthday, a promising young theater composer navigates love, friendship and the pressures of life as an artist in New York City.


****BEWARE POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD****


REVIEW:

I didn't think I'd like this film as much as I did. It's not every day that a musical captures my attention so thoroughly, at least none like this.

Let's get the obvious out of the way, Andrew Garfield is a revelation here. I'm pretty sure it's actually him singing through most of this, and he's fantastic. He injects so much emotion, depth, and care into this portrayal of real life playwright Jonathan Larson that it's astounding. I truly mean it that Andrew may be one of the best actors that people sleep on. 

Initially, I thought we were getting more story and detail about his conception of RENT, however as the film went on, I was happy that we didn't see much of it. It focuses, wisely in my opinion, on his conception of Superbia, his unproduced first musical, and frames it through his other production under the same name as the movie. It's a brilliant choice from first time film director Miranda, who clearly has a love and a passion for Larson's work.

The music, except for one moment I'll get to, is great. Again, I'm not the biggest fan of musicals (something I'm trying to change), but this music is effective, well-written, and very catchy. I was tapping my foot throughout most of the movie, and the song in the darkened outdoor theater? It deserves the biggest Chef's Kiss. 

My biggest critique is a moment that happens about halfway into the film. There's a fight between Larson and his girlfriend Susan, but it's being shown at the same time as a weird song about relationships. The song is very upbeat, almost something I'd expect from Disney, and completely undermined the serious relationship moment that was happening in the film. It felt out of place and odd, and took me out of the movie for the three or four minutes it was on. 

That's really my only complaint though. Aside from a few choices made by a first time film director that I didn't agree with, it is a thoroughly encapsulating musical that doesn't go too off the rails and stays on target. If you have Netflix, it's a surefire recommendation from me, and something you will not regret watching. I look forward to seeing it around Oscar season. 

Final Thought: tick, tick...BOOM! is an incredible musical with a tremendous performance from Andrew Garfield that rarely stumbles, and pays a laudable tribute to the man it's about.

Score: 91/100

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Batman (2022) Review SPOILER FREE

 Riddle Me This SCORE:  89 /100 Directed by: Matt Reeves Starring: Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano Synopsis: When the Riddler, a sadistic serial killer, begins murdering key political figures in Gotham, Batman is forced to investigate the city's hidden corruption and question his family's involvement. ****I WILL DO MY BEST, BUT BEWARE POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD**** REVIEW: I went into The Batman with high expectations. The character has one of the best track records in Hollywood, and I was excited to see on of the most underrated actors today picking up the mantle of Bruce Wayne and Batman. What followed was a matching of my expectations, and while not as perfect a film as The Dark Knight was, The Batman more than holds its own in the character's filmography. Let's start with my two main critiques. First up is the pacing of the movie. While it is almost three hours, it never really feels that way. However, there were a couple of sequences that could have been sho...
Post a Comment
Read more

Slipknot's Self Titled Album (1999) Review

An Incredible Debut Artist: Slipknot Album: Slipknot Year: 1999 Band Lineup for Album: Sid Wilson - DJ/Samples, Joey Jordison - Drums, Paul Gray - Bass, Chris Fehn - Percussion, Jim Root - Guitar, Craig Jones - Samples, Shawn Crahan - Percussion, Mick Thomson - Guitar, Corey Taylor - Vocals No one knew in 1999 that the landscape of music would've changed dramatically and violently with the release of Slipknot's self titled debut album. I'm not too clear on the history of the metal genre as a whole, but almost every musician out there always points to this album as one of the best debut albums ever, and gave rise to one of the biggest bands of all time. I discovered the album in middle school because of some friends of mine, and it easily played into the edgy music that I wanted to hear at the time. While some may look back on their favorite albums from their childhood and see a lot of cringe, I can safely look back at this album with a renewed love after listening to it aga...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Suicide Squad (2021) Review

Deadly Good SCORE: 88 /100 Directed by: James Gunn Starring: Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, Joel Kinnaman, Jai Courtney, Peter Capaldi, David Dastmalchian, Daniela Melchior, Michael Rooker. Alice Braga, Pete Davidson, Sean Gunn, Taika Waititi, Mayling Ng, Sylvester Stallone, Viola Davis Synopsis: Harley Quinn, Bloodsport, Peacemaker, and a collection of D-list supervillains join the shady Task Force X, and are dropped off at the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese.  ****BEWARE POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD**** REVIEW: There was no way this wasn't going to be better than 2016's Suicide Squad. That film was poorly written, poorly executed, and mostly poorly acted. I'm glad to report that the new film from James Gunn, director of Guardians of the Galaxy, is a complete reversal of that. Even if it doesn't quite stick the landing.  Notably, James Gunn was announced to direct this after being fired from Marvel and before his subsequent rehiring. He is undoubtedly ...
Post a Comment
Read more