'News of the World' Review: What Critics Say About Tom Hanks' New Netflix Movie
"News of the World" is the latest proof that Tom Hanks is still one of the best Hollywood movie stars.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, Hanks and his 2020 drama film spread throughout the world first.
The western drama film is based on Paulette Jiles' novel of the same name. It tells the story of a Civil War veteran who must return a young girl to her remaining family.
The "Toy Story" voice actor plays the role of Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd.
Meanwhile, the other "News of the World" cast members include Helena Zengel (Johanna Leonberger/Cicada), Michael Covino (Almay), Fred Hechinger (John Calley) and Neil Sandilands (Wilhelm Leonberger), as well as Thomas Francis Murphy, Mare Winningham and Elizabeth Marvel among others.
As of writing, it has 14 nominations from different award-giving bodies: Critics' Choice Awards (7), Golden Globe Awards (1), Satellite Awards (4), and Screen Actors Guilds Awards (3).
While its accolades show the quality of the movie, the reviews about one of the best Tom Hanks' movies also describe how and why it received such high praises from critics.
The Movie Is a Gift
For Brian Tallerico of Roger Ebert, the "News of the World" is a present that people always want to receive.
To create the film, Hanks reunited with his "Captain Phillips" director Paul Greengrass. The "News of the World" highlighted the different side of him being an on-screen captain.
After watching the film, Tallerico noted that the flick is not a simple "dad movie" everyone should watch. Instead, it is a film full of talented actors that smoothly tackled a story.
"Everyone here is at the top of their craft from the character actors who populate the ensemble to the two leads at its center to everyone behind the camera, and you can feel that from first frame to last," he went on.
The Story to Learn During Crisis
As the world continues to face the dreaded pandemic, Hanks' film seemingly serves as a getaway for everyone.
In the "News of the World" review by Rohini Nair of First Post, she applauded Hanks and Helena Zengel's pairing that made the movie sweeter than the ordinary.
To tell a story about the 1870s may sound dull to some. However, Captain Kidd made sure that his storytelling skills still catch people's attention in modern times.
"The report he's reading on this occasion is about an epidemic of meningitis that has already claimed 97 lives in a two-month period. His voice drives home the urgency of the threat, then turns heavy with sorrow and reverence for the dead," Nair noted.
The existence of a dread disease in the film echoes what the world is currently experiencing due to the coronavirus pandemic.
With this twist, everyone can learn what to do--and who they should listen to--in these trying times.
Hanks Presented Old-Fashioned Western Story in a Beautiful Way
"News of the World" is proof that Hanks' acting skills are timeless, and Caryn James of BBC saw that.
In her review, she noted that the plot is somewhat obvious since the story has already been published before. The people's familiarity with history also made the ending easy to predict.
Despite that, Hanks' character made the whole film unique, as if cliche is a word that does not fit in it.
"It works because there is something quietly miraculous about the way Hanks embodies this character, making him the stirring and fresh emotional centre of a beautifully old-fashioned Western," James said.
