Season 4 – Small Axe

Audience Reviews

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david f This biopic in the Small Axe collection shows the youth of a YA author, suffering through the system and getting a little joy where he can, from music and community. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Debe haber una buena razón por la que Alex Wheatle sea tan odiada y si la hay y es que realmente no hay empatía en lo que sucede y aparte de eso tampoco genera lo que se podía sentir en Lovers rock, así que es mas bien olvidable Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/09/23 Full Review Audience Member By far the weakest of the series. It makes the same mistake all the others in the series do. Scenes just linger on to long, I'm assuming, for artistic and dramatic eeffect. It does the opposite when it then proceeds to last 3x's longer than its welcome. Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 01/09/23 Full Review Audience Member It's pretty damned impressive what Steve McQueen and Alastair Siddons can do in just about an hour of film time. You get more growth from characters, more insight to the human experience (esp. suffering oppression, paranoia, fear but also great pure joy), and more stigmatizing action that the vast majority of films twice as long or longer. Alex Wheatle has been the least impressive of the Small Axe works so far, but then again, that's in comparison to three powerful, highly affecting movies with stunning performances and a constant sense of authenticity. That authenticity is here as well, but the story is smaller, more centered on the lead figure of Alex. Sheyi Cole is stellar as Alex; conveying hopelessness, rage, desperation and a reasoning calm with equal skill. Also very good is Jonathan Jules. 3.2 stars Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/09/23 Full Review Audience Member This was easily my least favorite of the Small Axe films so far, but as I generally don't love biopics, I am not surprised by this. McQueen still makes the visual appeal high but unfortunately for me the content rarely had me fully engaged. I had never heard of Alex Wheatle before though and I will never complain about learning something new. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/09/23 Full Review Audience Member It's not the shining star in the sky of Small Axe, but it's still good. McQueen's character development is always on point, as is his ability to build a relationship with the audience. The build up through our getting to know about Alex is solid, but there does seem to be a disjointed period when the story tracks in-and-around the Brixton riots, during which different key points seem to vie for the spotlight. It somehow left everything feeling disconnected, which is a shame. This chapter could really have done with more content to truly elevate it and strengthen the core theme Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/09/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Small Axe — Season 4

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