Magic In The Moonlight (Cinema Screening)

(Spoilers)

Emma Stone and Colin Firth are both brilliant actors in their own respects, Stone has grabbed my attention mainly as Gwen Stacy in The Amazing Spider-man movies and Firth has been impressive in most things I have watched, most recently Before I Go To Sleep. So whilst Magic In The Moonlight may not have initially appealed to me the casting has really drawn me in here, something it turns out that I was glad of.

Woody Allen writes and directs this film and it is actually the first film of his that I have seen, well what can I say other than how much I enjoyed it. Set in the 1920s it portrayed this era in an interesting and lighthearted way but it also felt like a film made in an era much earlier than what it is. This added to the film a lot and I thoroughly enjoyed this aspect of the movie, it felt worlds apart from anything I have seen in the cinema in recent years. For me Magic In The Moonlight was everything that The Great Gatsby wasn’t, whilst they are very different films they simply have similarities in the era and I just enjoyed this film a lot more. The performances as to be expected were just a joy to watch, there was a certain sophistication about this era that suited both of these actors so well and just improved the quality of the film so much. Stone and Firth were a fantastic leading duo and worked really well together, each being as strong as the other.

The story was great too, nothing too complicated but it had enough substance to hold your attention. Thankfully the romance element was dealt with well too, this element wasn’t the focus until the last section of the film and even then it wasn’t overbearing. My only issue would be the age gap between the actors, I thought this was a bit odd and the final kiss that the two share did seem a bit awkward but that is only a minor flaw as I feel the humour that brings the viewers to this point is much more important. The humour featured is pleasant, you won’t be rolling around the floor laughing but I’d be surprised if you didn’t have a smile on your face for the majority of this film, it is simply very amusing. The film was also just the right length meaning that each element of the script got adequate attention and nothing was drawn out too much.

Magic In The Moonlight is a fine film and would be a good addition to anyone’s evening. Whilst it isn’t anything spectacular it is an endlessly pleasant film with some stellar performances set in an interesting era that should make you feel quite distant from the congested cinema screens of the 2014.

BIGGEST FLAW – Age gap in the leads

BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT – The whole style of the film

Rating – 8/10