News of the World [2021] – Tom Hanks, Helena Zengel

News of the World, while mildly entertaining, needed a bit more grit and less preaching. For the 1870s setting, the movie is kind of modern.

Starring Tom Hanks and Helena Zengel, the movie simmers with current day relevancy, but it very much looks and feels like a classic Hollywood Western. While it has nothing special going for it, it’s still a relatively good watch that highlights Universal Studios’ sturdy filmmaking.

However, it’s fair to say that the movie is an unconventional western. But regardless of your genre preference, Hanks and Zengel will win you over. She steals the spotlight. This thirteen-year-old German actress shines in this role.

In fact, the movie has a lot of inconsistencies. But it survives its own shortcomings by reminding us that that it’s only one of countless similarly tiny but important parts of the solution. Sadly, the heartfelt conclusion is… undermined by a simplistic build-up, albeit not enough to diminish the fine lead performances.

Should you watch it?

News of the World tries to play on the social injustice of the post-American civil war but fails to hit any real chords with the viewers, me included. A nice watch, but nothing special.

Where can I watch it?

You can stream News Of The World exclusively on Crave in Canada or rent it on Prime Video or Google TV.