‘Blitz’ reviews: Critics praise Steve McQueen’s ‘effortless’ direction and Saoirse Ronan’s ‘sympathetic’ performance

Oscar winner Steve McQueen (“12 Years a Slave”) hasn’t made a movie since “Widows” in 2018 so there was a lot of buzz about “Blitz” when it debuted at the London Film Festival on Oct. 9. This Apple Original Film is a period piece, set in 1940 war-torn London. George (Elliott Heffernan), a 9-year-old sent to safety in the countryside by his single mother Rita (Saoirse Ronan), decides to return home. While his mother frantically searches for him, he gets caught up in a series of adventures.  

While some critics were somewhat tepid about this heartwarming film, others were more enamored of its charms. Many reviewers singled out the contributions of the below-the-line talent. Combined, the reviews merit an impressive score of 94 at Rotten Tomatoes. Read a sampling of their thoughts below.

After closing the New York Film Festival on Oct. 10, it opens theatrically in both the US and UK on Nov. 1 before starting to stream on Apple TV+ on Nov. 22.

Owen Gleiberman (Variety) noted that “McQueen, who wrote and directed ‘Blitz,’ has an effortless technique that whisks you along. He recreates London during the Blitz with such you-are-there detail and, at moments, such devastating smoky hellscape grandeur that we feel we know the place, and its citizens too.” He concluded that the film “is well-staged, well-acted, and given a creamy deluxe wartime period-piece sheen by the cinematographer Yorick Le Saux. Hans Zimmer’s score sprinkles in discordant notes of dread.”

For Tomris Laffly (The Playlist), “What lies within that defiant disposition is a familiar, almost counterintuitive warmth and optimism one feels amid their fellow rebels, one that reveals itself like a lifeboat in the middle of a storm when you least expect it. That’s the very warmth that the always magnificent Ronan beautifully sings about in a lovely scene through the gorgeous original ballad called “Winter Coat” (by McQueen, Nicholas Britell, and Taura Stinson) that actually feels and sounds of the era.”

Pete Hammond (Deadline) singled out the below-the-line artisans for praise: “All of this, as you might imagine with the caliber of filmmaker McQueen is, is superbly re-created with outstanding cinematography by Yorick Le Saux, excellent production design of everything from a crumbling London to a buzzing nightclub by Adam Stockhausen, on-target costume design from Jacqueline Durran, and a great score from Hans Zimmer.”

Fionnula Halligan (Screen Daily) also observed that “‘Blitz’ excels in terms of world-building and costuming, Adam Stockhausen joined by Jacqueline Durran and DoP Yorick Le Saux in conceiving and lighting this twilight-lived world to great success. Even the post-production effects are seamless, a tough ask for a period piece.”

For Peter Bradshaw (The Guardian), “Steve McQueen finds the key of C major for this well made and unashamedly old-fashioned wartime adventure, heartfelt and rousing and – yes – a bit trad overall, sometimes even channelling the spirit of Lionel Jeffries’s ‘The Railway Children,’ although for me that’s no put-down.” And, he noted, “Saoirse Ronan gives a sympathetic and controlled performance in a role that does not allow for much nuance.”

And William Bibbiani (The Wrap) noted: “McQueen uses his outwardly simple story as an excuse to delve into the complexities of the era, in an episodic and impressively thorough way.”

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