Welcome back to MyMovieReview. Isn’t it exciting to see Kang the Conqueror and Hangman from Maverick together as a pair of US Navy fighter pilots who risked their lives during the Korean War to become some of the Navy’s most celebrated wingmen directed by J.D. Dillard?
This movie Devotion is rated PG-13 for strong language and scenes of violence and smoking. Steer clear of the smoking kids. Actually, this is one of those war-type movies that I would say is appropriate for families maybe not of all ages but even early teens.
I don’t think they’re going to have a problem with this. This is a film you can see with everyone this weekend. Jonathan Majors and Glenn Powell lead a true story that is both heartbreaking and entertaining at the same time.
This is especially true when we get to that third act where we can see some of these war scenes occurring in the air. It’s how they visualize some of these fight scenes that are fewer and further apart.
I expected it to be fascinating. Despite this, the story itself focuses on the study of the main characters, played by Jonathan Majors and Jesse Brown. This is a man who has been looked down upon because of his skin colour. It is someone who repeats over and over what is being said to him.
When Majors is doing this in a mirror, it’s an incredibly powerful scene. You can feel the pain in his words and there are numerous examples in this devotion movie where that’s kind of displayed but they never overdo that. This is one thing I’m thankful for while watching this movie.
They don’t make it too difficult to watch. In other films, that’s understandable, but with this PG-13 story, they’re telling. I am glad they focused on the camaraderie between Brown and Hudner as it is a fascinating friendship.
As you watch it from the beginning, you get to see how it progresses into something that is a bit more up and down than you might expect. They’re not always on the same page but they’re always fighting for each other. All of these individuals when they get into cases where it’s very clear what people are doing to Jesse Brown, they are quick to stand up for him.
A person in Brown’s position understands when a situation is going to become more difficult and when it won’t. He’s a really smart individual. I almost said character but based on a true story, it’s a story you’re going to read about and be fascinated by from start to finish. The story isn’t as well known as some other war stories.
There aren’t a lot of people talking about this war in general or at least this specific battle they’re fighting is more relevant than the rest. They’re also having to go into enemy territory and do some interesting things. Their goals are fascinating. Camaraderie is a bond that is formed between them.
This includes sessions where you are trying to learn and train. How they do what they do is not as intense as something like a top-gun Maverick. A lot of people will make that comparison. They’re trying to say it’s a war movie but it’s also kind of like a top gun Maverick because they’re up in planes not necessarily.
It reminds me much more so of other World War II films we’ve seen in the past. The comparisons work because they’re on planes and Glenn Powell is playing a completely different character, and also because of our two main characters.
Jesse Brown is a character you’re meant to root for from the beginning to the end. It’s just the fact that Daisy Brown, played by Christina Jackson, is having conversations with him. They do a good job of humanizing this character. In my opinion, they spent too much time before starting the battle.
There’s around an hour and 20 minutes spent before really anything of note happens from an action perspective. Building up your characters is something you have to do in a film like this. However, I felt as if they spent too much time doing that. Then some of these other side characters whether it be Joe Jonas or Nick Hargrave are quite enjoyable.
They’re a nice support system for Jesse and Tom but no one gets exploration outside of our main two guys when we are with them in this war setting. Therefore, you don’t care about anyone other than our main two and that’s both okay and terrible. They don’t want to spend too much time over here, but it is almost necessary for us to care about the camaraderie between all of these individuals.
This could have also added to the end of this movie Devotion, and the pacing does drag it down. I also think the run time weighs it down. As I said if you read this story you’re sure to be fascinated by the way that it translates.
It just wasn’t always as compelling as it was trying to be. There is music swelling, there is a dialogue between two individuals, you go to the next scene and it is a second conversation. Then we move to the next scene and we are discussing something that may or may not come up in the story.
It could just be a side discussion that doesn’t come back into play. Therefore, I do feel as if they spent too much time in other places but when we get to the battles towards the end it looks engaging.
Overall, the visuals are nice, but the cinematography isn’t extraordinary. It’s something I’ve never seen before, but it works and the direction of these action-heavy war scenes is great. I don’t think the cinematography is anything special, but it works, along with the direction of those action-packed scenes of war.
I mean you have the rousing score that’s coming in but the sound design is Rock Solid not as good as some other big movies. Although we have seen it this year, it does the job as well as the effects of these massive shots being fired into the air. It also comes down on land.
I just thought it looked nice. You could tell there’s some practical in there JD Dillard. He’s a talented director. He directed a movie that I enjoyed. The funny thing is though I had pacing problems with that film. Although I still have pacing problems with this movie, I would even say that it is more of a drama than a war film.
It feels like it’s trying to be both at the same time. This will inevitably disappoint some viewers, but I was okay with it at points because some of these dramatic beats were compelling.
That’ll get them devotion and turns a compelling true story into a slightly formulaic war drama that manages to overcome its conventions with outstanding performances and grand visual effects. I’m getting to 4/5 with my score.
- 7.0/10 at IMDb
- 82% at Rotten Tomatoes