As I watched Mr. Turner, I kept wondering, how is it possible a film can have near perfect acting, cinematography, costume design, sets, and dialogue and yet, not be amazing?
Here’s a film that’s in search of the most important thing a film needs, a story. Instead, Mr. Turner ends up being a collection of scenes and vignettes that don’t really amount to much at all in the end. It’s not clear what our protagonist, Mr. Turner wants / needs / desires for most of the film. There’s no driving character goal. There’s no real story here. Just a bunch of scenes (some more interesting than others) that show different moments in Turner’s later life.
Timothy Spall is excellent as the lead. If only he had a better story to showcase his talents. The photography is gorgeous, if only there were a reason behind it. If you like period pieces or are a fan of Turner’s work, then it’s probably worth a watch, otherwise, you can probably skip it.