310. Finch; movie review

 

 

FINCH

Cert 12A

115 mins

BBFC advice: Contains brief violent images

Could any other actor hold together a movie on their own as well as Tom Hanks?

We had already seen the evidence in Castaway and, to a lesser extent in Forrest Gump and A Beautiful Day In The Neighbourhood.

So, no surprise that he should give such a compelling performance in Finch when the stage is shared by a dog and a robot.

And, despite the very limited cast, this is another in the long list of must-see Hanks movies.

He plays the title role - a survivor of an apocalypse which sees the human race almost wiped out and the planet rendered virtually uninhabitable.

Finch checks off building after building, scavenging what he needs to stay alive alongside his faithful dog and a very basic robot which he has built.

His main objective is to avoid intense weather events which can happen very quickly and the radiation which has killed off the population.

Finch creates a companion in 'Jeff' (voiced by Caleb Landry Jones) with all the facts he would ever need to know but only experience can make him truly at one with his new surroundings.

So, with the backdrop of the near-end of the world, he has to establish a grip on what it means to be human.

The interaction between man and machine is riveting and makes for one of the most original films of the year.

There are obvious parallels with Hanks's role in Castaway but at least this time, his newly found pal can answer back unlike Wilson, the famous volleyball.

The development of their bond during almost constant adversity becomes quite touching.

We have seen plenty of post-apocalypse movies in the past but with deft direction by Miguel Sapochnik and Hanks at his best, Finch becomes a thing of beauty,

Reasons to watch: Hanks at his best

Reasons to avoid: Maybe a little bit maudlin

Laughs: Two

Jumps: None

Vomit: Yes

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 9/10

Did you know?  VFX supervisor Scott Stokdyk and his team were called on to build the droid, named Jeff with gyroscopic sensors which can be underneath clothing. When Jeff's other robot elements were added later, Stokdyk could choose which would be real and which would be added in CGI.

The final word. Tom Hanks: “If you had told us when we were on the set shooting this film that during the post-production people would be in lockdown, be in masks and people wouldn’t be able to travel across borders, we would’ve thought, ‘Well, let’s make that movie.’ I’m glad we didn’t.” Radio Times

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