Coming to Irish cinemas on August 20th is the latest adaptation of a Stephen King story. Is The Life of Chuck one of the good ones? From director Mike Flanagan, a director many horror fans will be a huge fan of, The Life of Chuck is a fascinating film. The Life of Chuck stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, Mark Hamill, Nick Offerman, Mia Sara, and so many notable actors.
How best to go about this
This review is difficult to write for me, not because I’m lost for words with regards to the impact this film had on me, far from it. I find this difficult to write because I want you, dear reader, to go in as blind as possible when you see The Life of Chuck. This is easily one of the most affecting films I have seen in a long time. Broken into a three-act structure, we follow the inhabitants of this film on a journey that I believe helps its audience manage life and death.
It’s an ethereal and beautiful story told in a fashion I haven’t experienced in a long time. There are a lot of choices made within the structure of the film and how its narrative is presented to the audience that I adored. One element that I found fascinating was that we start at the end, the opening text is Act 3. It immediately puts you in a state of interest: how did we get here? Where do we go from here? It kept me enthralled the entire length of the film. Another element of the film that kept me engaged was the acting. Almost everyone in this film is firing on all cylinders. A particular highlight is Mia Sara; her scenes are charming, heartfelt, and emotional.
You’ve got art in you
There are a few issues with the writing, one or two scenes that don’t flow as well as the rest. There is a scene with Ejiofor and Violet McGraw that felt fairly clunky, which took me out of the film. That was honestly it, though. Every other interaction, every other set piece was sewn together beautifully. Tom Hiddleston’s Chuck is a fascinating character; he’s the centre of this story, and Hiddleston gives a human, humble and charming performance. This carries throughout the whole film. It is a testament to the quality of a lot of elements working in tandem together.
Part coming of age, part end of the world, The Life of Chuck is something I’ve been looking for for a long time. Something that surprises me. With Mike Flanagan’s direction, a stellar cast, and a bittersweet message, The Life of Chuck is a film I wholeheartedly recommend you see with those you love.
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