In recent years, Ben Afleck has evolved from a throwaway generic Hollywood actor into a credible director. With films like The Town and Gone Baby Gone, audiences have continued to watch him grow in his directorial abilities. With Argo, Afleck shows that he is at his best yet. But the Best Picture Oscar is not a Most Improved award.
PLOT
Argo's plot is promising and interesting. Based on a true story, the film follows a CIA experts attempt to rescue a group of American Embassy workers trapped in Iran. The plot's execution, however, is less than satisfying. Most of the film is very slow, only picking up pace in the last 30-45 minutes. The rest is filled with endless dialogue and buildup. The Dialogue and buildup are necessary to be sure, but more could have been done to provide better pacing.
Argo's plot is promising and interesting. Based on a true story, the film follows a CIA experts attempt to rescue a group of American Embassy workers trapped in Iran. The plot's execution, however, is less than satisfying. Most of the film is very slow, only picking up pace in the last 30-45 minutes. The rest is filled with endless dialogue and buildup. The Dialogue and buildup are necessary to be sure, but more could have been done to provide better pacing.
CHARACTERS
Most of the characters in Argo are entertaining. Portrayed by actors like John Goodman, Allen Arkin and Bryan Cranston, they go a long way in making the film watchable. The same can't be said for Afleck himself, however. His is the weakest performance which causes his character to simply fall flat. Furthermore, the people we as the audience need to care about most (the six embassy workers) are barely there. We know the tiniest sliver of their backstories but not much else. This hurts the film in a huge way because we need to care about these people if we are to invest ourselves in the story.
Most of the characters in Argo are entertaining. Portrayed by actors like John Goodman, Allen Arkin and Bryan Cranston, they go a long way in making the film watchable. The same can't be said for Afleck himself, however. His is the weakest performance which causes his character to simply fall flat. Furthermore, the people we as the audience need to care about most (the six embassy workers) are barely there. We know the tiniest sliver of their backstories but not much else. This hurts the film in a huge way because we need to care about these people if we are to invest ourselves in the story.
VISUALS
Visually the film looks bleak and depressing. This is actually a great thing for Argo! The situation seems void of all hope and the visual tone set makes us feel that even if the characters fail to make us. Many of the shots in Argo are intentional duplicates of actual pictures taken in Iran during this time. The originals are shown during the end credits. A great touch!
Visually the film looks bleak and depressing. This is actually a great thing for Argo! The situation seems void of all hope and the visual tone set makes us feel that even if the characters fail to make us. Many of the shots in Argo are intentional duplicates of actual pictures taken in Iran during this time. The originals are shown during the end credits. A great touch!
DIALOGUE
Argo's dialogue is okay. Nothing special. It does what it has to. The film is carried mostly on its visuals but with these movies, a certain amount of boring exposition is necessary and Argo executes it just fine. But there isn't anything extraordinary here.
Argo's dialogue is okay. Nothing special. It does what it has to. The film is carried mostly on its visuals but with these movies, a certain amount of boring exposition is necessary and Argo executes it just fine. But there isn't anything extraordinary here.
OSCAR WORTHINESS
Every year, certain movies come out that for whatever reason get lots of buzz about Oscar worthiness. And while the story of Argo is one that is inspiring and engaging, the actual execution of the film is decidedly "meh". Nothing about Argo breaks any new ground and had it not been so successful at the Oscars, I would call it completely forgettable. Argo is not worthy of its Oscars success.
Every year, certain movies come out that for whatever reason get lots of buzz about Oscar worthiness. And while the story of Argo is one that is inspiring and engaging, the actual execution of the film is decidedly "meh". Nothing about Argo breaks any new ground and had it not been so successful at the Oscars, I would call it completely forgettable. Argo is not worthy of its Oscars success.
Plot - 1
Characters - 1.5
Visuals - 2
Dialogue - 1
Oscar Worthiness - 0
Dusty's Score - 4.5 out of 10
Characters - 1.5
Visuals - 2
Dialogue - 1
Oscar Worthiness - 0
Dusty's Score - 4.5 out of 10
Have you seen Argo? Agree or disagree? Comment below!!
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