“Armageddon Time”: A review
Written by Cole Mihalich. Photo courtesy of IMDb.
“Armageddon Time,” an autobiographical film by director James Gray, is chaotic but also hides a few gems.
The film is a coming-of-age story, one of fading innocence in an increasingly divided world. Paul Graff (Banks Repeta), the protagonist, finds himself in the middle of this. He dreams big and is vocal about his ideas. Paul wants to be an artist in a family of home improvers and future school board presidents. The only one who supports him is his grandfather (Anthony Hopkins) who makes gestures like buying Paul a box of paints.
Paul, befriends Johnny (Jaylin Webb), an African-American teen, who has been held back. The two of them get into a lot of trouble, which forces Paul’s parents to send him to a private school, where he gets into more trouble.
Gray’s film seeks to cover a lot of topics, many of which translate to the modern day. However, the core message of the story remains difficult to decipher. From discrimination to broken homes and ignorant parents to anti-Trump commentary, the film covers a lot of different issues. It leaves the audience hoping that the film would explore fewer ideas and give each more room to breathe.
The characters, particularly Irving Graff (Jeremy Strong), are inconsistent, going from a rage-laden child-beater to a quiet, emotionally intelligent father. Esther Graff (Anne Hathaway), Paul’s mother, while more consistent has a negligible arc, a fact that rings true for most. Johnny, Paul’s friend, simply seems like a vehicle from which Paul can learn lessons. We barely get any backstory on Johnny, while he often chooses to take the blame, protecting Paul from punishment. When Johnny ultimately ends up in deep trouble, it is difficulty to feel sympathetic.
Additionally, the direction, the editing and the pacing overall felt odd. Conversations are paced poorly, shots were held much longer than needed, and sometimes scenes just feel uncanny, as so many of the elements feel a little off, and not intentionally.
Of course at the heart of the film was Paul’s relationship with his grandfather which is where the talent and filmmaking really shined. Hopkins, as usual, gave a noteworthy performance, one where you felt the love he had for his grandson radiating through the screen. Repeta did a fine job in playing his character, and while sometimes conversation felt awkward, this slack was picked up by Strong and Hathaway, who had a presence even with the bounds of their limited arcs.
I do think this film had aimed high with the intent to have a positive message. It just never reached those heights. However, seeing the rounded sense of childhood carelessness and innocence translated onto the screen was a joy. This was one of the few films recently where I felt the director was really trying to understand the world from a child’s perspective. Hopefully, this film opens up the eyes of those whose actions still are reminiscent of those 1980s ideologies.
“Armageddon Time” is out now.
