Film Review: Argo

This post will probably be less of a review, and more of an entry in which I gush wildly about how much I enjoyed Argo. Having just watched the movie (it literally finished about twenty minutes ago), I should probably take some time to let the dust settle and then gather my thoughts before even attempting to write about it, however, because I enjoyed it so, so much I can't resist writing about it.

As most people will remember (myself included) Argo won Best Picture at the 2013 Oscars, beating other heavyweight nominees such as Life of Pi, Les Miserables, Zero Dark Thirty, Django Unchained and Lincoln. At the time a few people were wondering 'How and why did a move barely anyone had heard of before the Academy Award nominations were released manage to scoop the award for Best Picture?'. If your still wondering this, and haven't seen it, then watch it and decide for yourself. I highly recommend it.

Before watching this movie, I had no idea what it was about, but I was attracted to it because of it's status as an Academy Award Winner, and because I'd heard that it was really fantastic. All I knew about the film before watching it was that Ben Affleck was in it accompanied by beard and long hair (pictured above), and that Bryan Cranston, who played comically pathetic Dad, Hal on Malcolm in the Middle was in it too.

I did not expect what I got. I did not expect this film to be about an American hostage crisis in Iran. I did not expect an elaborate cover story involving a Science Fiction movie named Argo. I did not expect Fred Flintstone to be in it.

The thing that made this film truly incredible for me was that after ten minutes of watching I was hooked, and I had forgotten Ben Affleck, and Bryan Cranston, and John Goodman, and Chris Messina and Alan Arkin. The characters on screen were only and completely the characters on screen. Who can truthfully say that they watch Titanic and don't see Leonardo Di Caprio and Kate Winslett? Who can watch The Lord of the Rings and say that they don't see Elijah Wood, and Orlando Bloom? My point isn't that Titanic and The Lord of the Rings are awful films because the audience is always aware of the fact that they are watching actors, in fact Titanic and The Lord of the Rings are two of my favourite movies (although LOTR is technically three movies), my point is that Argo is so utterly enthralling and surprising that the audience forgets that what they are watching is a movie and not a documentary.

The movie is surprising, educational and above all entertaining. It keeps you on the edge of your seat. It makes your bum cheeks wobble, it constantly keeps you guessing. Even if Argo isn't your type of film, I would highly recommend watching it. If your lucky you might be as surprised as I was.