Saoirse Ronan’s One Revelation About ‘Blitz’ Director Steve McQueen Is Giving Us Worrying Gladiator 2 Flashbacks
- Saoirse Ronan revealed 'Blitz' director used to wrap up shoots early after just a few takes.
- 'Blitz' director Steve McQueen's rapid approach bears similarities to Ridley Scott's shooting style on 'Gladiator 2'.
- Critics have noted that 'Gladiator 2' and 'Blitz' both seem to prioritize efficiency over artistic exploration, leading to mixed reviews.
The result of a movie sometimes depends on a thin line between the director’s vision and execution. This year, two promising movies, Blitz and Gladiator 2, are not only raising discussions about their plots but also about the process of their filmmaking.
Saoirse Ronan has starred in Blitz, directed by Steve McQueen. As Gladiator 2 is already stirring up some discussions for its performance, Ronan seems to reveal an interesting similarity between the directorial approaches of both films, which has raised some eyebrows.
Parallels Between Blitz and Gladiator 2‘s Filmmaking
Blitz is a war-themed movie about 9-year-old George and his story amid the evacuation and challenges of World War 2’s London Blitz. The drama starring Saoirse Ronan as George’s mother Rita is directed by Steve McQueen. The movie also focuses on survival during war.
However, the behind-the-scenes information that Ronan shared shows how similar the movie’s filmmaking approach is to Gladiator 2. In an interview with Collider, talking about McQueen, she said,
He doesn’t want to like stick around for longer than he has to. So, like, if he has found a take that sort of encapsulates everything he’s trying to achieve in a scene, he will just do that one shot and then he’ll be done. Like there were days that we would have on Blitz where we would wrap 3 hours early, which is just unheard of.
“We would have five setups for a scene and he would wrap us after the first setup ’cause he had it, it’s crazy,” Ronan added later. This rapid shooting style is similar to the approach Ridley Scott took for Gladiator 2.
John Mathieson, the film’s cinematographer, also criticized Scott’s filmmaking process in his appearance on The DocFix Documentary Storytelling Podcast.
It’s really lazy. It’s the CG elements now of tidying-up, leaving things in shot, cameras in shot, microphones in shot, bits of set hanging down, shadows from booms. And they just said [on Gladiator II], ‘Well, clean it up.’
“He is quite impatient so he likes to get as much as he can at once. It’s not very good for cinematography,” Mathieson added. Other cast members like Connie Nielsen, Paul Mescal, and Pedro Pascal have also talked about Scott’s swiftness.
The parallels are striking. In this aspect, both McQueen and Scott appear to be unwilling to take extra time to explore creative possibilities. For Gladiator 2, this approach has seemingly contributed to its mixed critical response. On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie got a 71% critic rating, and many pointed out the movie’s apparent tendency to focus on spectacle over narrative.
Forbes even drew similarities between some visuals of the movie and video games and stated that the paced filmmaking might have come at the loss of plot details. This approach reflects a growing tendency in contemporary cinema where speed and efficiency might be replacing artistic exploration.
The Highs and Lows of Blitz
Nevertheless, Blitz has gained decent popularity among critics. The movie is rated 81% by critics on Rotten Tomatoes, but the audience has rated it 48% only. Many critics reacted positively to the idea of the movie’s portrayal of British society during the war. The performances of the actors, particularly Ronan, Benjamin Clementine, and newcomer Elliott Heffernan, were praised.
Many praised the cinematography of Yorick Le Saux. However, the movie also received its fair share of criticism. Some critics felt a lack of emotional attachment. The film appeared to avoid moments that had the potential to evoke strong emotions, which left the audience hungry for more.
Dulcie Pearce from The Sun stated, “Blitz loses its way, weaving from shocking bomb scenes to sickly-sweet period drama with some toe curling clichés,” while Alison Willmore from Vulture stated, “Blitz’s admirable intentions consistently outstrip its execution.”
Blitz seemed to fail to build a cohesive emotional journey and looked more like a series of encounters. It is a film that might divide the opinions of viewers, just like the approach of rapid filmmaking.
Blitz is now streaming on Apple TV+.
Gladiator 2 is running in theaters.
