Promising Young Woman
Movie 9/10
An absolute scintillating performance by Carey Mulligan makes Emerald Fennell's twist on the revenge thriller all the more thrilling. This is Mulligan at her best delivering a performance that sometimes makes it hard for the audience to root for her character. The supporting cast are all excellent too delivering the superbly written dialogue with aplomb. Fennell's script oozes wit and sophistication. Only a few immature characters at the end of the movie seemed a little jarring. Almost as if they had been lifted straight from an 'American Pie' sequel. That said this minor discrepancy does nothing to harm the movies flow. This movie deserves all the accolades that are being bestowed upon it. It really is a treat for fans of good cinema and is a refreshing take on the genre.
A young woman, traumatized by a tragic event in her past, seeks out vengeance against those who crossed her path. Taken straight from IMDB this synopsis sounds like a movie made countless times before. Fennell's film is anything but run of the mill. The premise maybe familiar but the execution is fresh, inventive and immensely gripping. The controversial ending totally worked for me and was the icing on a rather dark cake despite a few irritating characters that help deliver the movies climax. This indeed is a dark movie and our lead character is anything but a heroic. Her methods of revenge can cut a little close to the bone.
Picture quality 7/10
This film is dark in tone but not on the eye. The colour palette pops with vibrancy. Almost like the cameras have a candy coated filter. Available on Sky Cinema in the UK. Presented in 4K where available the picture quality is soft and cinematic. Not a 4K crisp image but one that does reveal a surprising amount of detail. Facial close ups look good and I think the eventual Blu-ray release will look even better. There's a fine layer of grain to the picture that gives it that big cinema screen feel.
Sound quality 8/10
The Dolby Atmos sound mix accompanying the movie is somewhat of a big surprise. This is not an action movie filled with effects but the sound mix is massive. Low frequency effects are really impressive. Bass gets deep. When Mulligan's character is leaving the nightclub at the beginning of the movie the bass will rumble your floorboards. The plot is delivered in chapters displayed by Roman numerals onscreen. Every time this happens there's a bass drop which is thunderous. Anthony Willis's score is also elevated by the use of Object based audio. The Atmos sound brings the score to the forefront. The choice of music is superb. From floor filling dance music to pop classics, music sounds great. Female Vocals on the other hand sometimes sound a little bright. Sibilance in vocals was sometimes an issue.
This is a minor niggle. The excellently written Dialogue is always audible but sometimes unpleasant on the ear. Surround sound effects are unobtrusive. A more ambient mix than one to grab your attention. There's no precise effects moving from speaker to speaker.
So to sum up 'Promising Young Woman' is an excellent movie and for AV enthusiasts this is a good looking movie with a surprisingly good Surround sound mix to accompany the drama.
A film well worthy of your attention.
Movie 9/10
An absolute scintillating performance by Carey Mulligan makes Emerald Fennell's twist on the revenge thriller all the more thrilling. This is Mulligan at her best delivering a performance that sometimes makes it hard for the audience to root for her character. The supporting cast are all excellent too delivering the superbly written dialogue with aplomb. Fennell's script oozes wit and sophistication. Only a few immature characters at the end of the movie seemed a little jarring. Almost as if they had been lifted straight from an 'American Pie' sequel. That said this minor discrepancy does nothing to harm the movies flow. This movie deserves all the accolades that are being bestowed upon it. It really is a treat for fans of good cinema and is a refreshing take on the genre.
A young woman, traumatized by a tragic event in her past, seeks out vengeance against those who crossed her path. Taken straight from IMDB this synopsis sounds like a movie made countless times before. Fennell's film is anything but run of the mill. The premise maybe familiar but the execution is fresh, inventive and immensely gripping. The controversial ending totally worked for me and was the icing on a rather dark cake despite a few irritating characters that help deliver the movies climax. This indeed is a dark movie and our lead character is anything but a heroic. Her methods of revenge can cut a little close to the bone.
Picture quality 7/10
This film is dark in tone but not on the eye. The colour palette pops with vibrancy. Almost like the cameras have a candy coated filter. Available on Sky Cinema in the UK. Presented in 4K where available the picture quality is soft and cinematic. Not a 4K crisp image but one that does reveal a surprising amount of detail. Facial close ups look good and I think the eventual Blu-ray release will look even better. There's a fine layer of grain to the picture that gives it that big cinema screen feel.
Sound quality 8/10
The Dolby Atmos sound mix accompanying the movie is somewhat of a big surprise. This is not an action movie filled with effects but the sound mix is massive. Low frequency effects are really impressive. Bass gets deep. When Mulligan's character is leaving the nightclub at the beginning of the movie the bass will rumble your floorboards. The plot is delivered in chapters displayed by Roman numerals onscreen. Every time this happens there's a bass drop which is thunderous. Anthony Willis's score is also elevated by the use of Object based audio. The Atmos sound brings the score to the forefront. The choice of music is superb. From floor filling dance music to pop classics, music sounds great. Female Vocals on the other hand sometimes sound a little bright. Sibilance in vocals was sometimes an issue.
This is a minor niggle. The excellently written Dialogue is always audible but sometimes unpleasant on the ear. Surround sound effects are unobtrusive. A more ambient mix than one to grab your attention. There's no precise effects moving from speaker to speaker.
So to sum up 'Promising Young Woman' is an excellent movie and for AV enthusiasts this is a good looking movie with a surprisingly good Surround sound mix to accompany the drama.
A film well worthy of your attention.