Submarine Review

Every now and then, a film comes along that breathes fresh air into the often dull, bland and repetitive cycle of cinema. That film is Submarine. Now, I could bark on and on and say that "Submarine is the best British film in years" like every reviewer. It seems like every time I walk into my local cinema. There will be a poster advertising an upcoming British film and splattered all over the poster is lines such as "Best British Film Ever!" and "Funniest Film You Might Ever See". So for me to say that Submarine is quite certainly the best British film in the last ten years. Isn't "Reviewer Cliche" (yeah that's a term coined by me, your welcome Earth) but merely the truth.

The film, directed by Richard Ayoade. That's Moss from The IT Crowd for simpletons worldwide. It follows the life of Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts), a self proclaimed genius who doesn't seem to fit into the world he inhabits. A lot like Max Fischer from Rushmore, Tate finds it hard to distance himself from his own ego. Well that is until he meets Jordana Bevan (Yasmin Paige). A pyromaniac who precociously smokes cigarettes and tries to distance herself from emotional ties. The two hit it off and spend there time lighting fires, setting off fireworks and spitting off bridges. Oliver has to juggle his immediate love life with the collapse of his parents marriage. Noah Taylor and Sally Hawkins play Oliver's sexless parents who find it hard to strike up an interesting conversation at best. Oliver finds himself in a tangle between two worlds.

For a directorial debut, Ayoade really hits it out the park. Not only does he convey the beautiful landscapes of Swansea, but he throws stylistic flourishes at the screen every chance he gets. This film isn't just witty, smart and very funny. It also has a dark tone that certain audiences won't understand. The best way to describe it would be to say that the film mixes Scott Pilgrim-esque kinetic visuals with the dark tone of a film like Taxi Driver. The acting and characters in this film are top notch, Paddy Considine is particularly hilarious. But the stand out performance is from relative newcomer Craig Roberts as the protagonist Oliver Tate. He is spellbinding throughout, not only can he hold a serious scene well, but his comedic timing is superb.

The film isn't perfect. A few things didn't work for me. The soundtrack by Alex Turner just didn't click with the visuals on screen. The music was beautiful, it was lyrics I found distracting, they seemed like they had been written by a fourteen year old who has just got his first guitar. Also, the last act of the film does struggle for a while and it does stand out when the first two acts were so brilliant. But the film does pull itself back into the preferred gear by the end and I feel it doesn't hurt the film as much as it could have. The third act problems are the only thing that is really keeping this film from being a modern day masterpiece.

Submarine is a brilliant debut from a director everyone should be keeping there eye on. It's very funny, slick and often just breathtaking. The film shows an 80's Swansea I would love to see and the mind of Oliver Tate shown on screen is always hilarious and always creative. I highly recommend this film to everyone, it's a film that the whole of Britain should embrace. I can honestly say it's the best film I have seen so far in 2011. Submarine is a few knots away from being a masterpiece!

9/10

By Chris Disley