The Reviews: Shades of Reason

Review

3/5

'No, this is not another addition to the Fifty Shades franchise. Sam Lapham's debut film, in which he writes, directs and stars, is a well balanced mix of heart and suspense. What makes this short film such a profound experience is that there is minimal dialogue, with Lapham opting to send a more nuanced and visual message. It follows Dylan, an adolescent grieving the loss of his brother who died in a car accident, as he goes to take revenge on the man behind the wheel (played by Lapham's own father, Martin). What could just be a simple tale of revenge is made complex by the juxtapositions of the characters and their values. 

It falls short only when concluding, because the build up and payoff feel slightly rushed and would have easily made an engaging feature length project. Nonetheless this is a strong story that defies both genre and expectation.'

Analysis

I've already said I didn't want my review for Shades of Reason to take up too much space on the page. This was both a realistic and logical decision because short films are never featured heavily in film magazine reviews, and also being critical of my film is something I will need to do in depth for my evaluation, so I didn't want to just be repeating myself. Therefore I kept this review concise and to the point, ensuring I looked upon my film with the perspective of a critic. 

The opening line, 'No, this is not another addition to the Fifty Shades franchise', establishes the entertaining tone of the magazine style and also helps to assert wider film culture into the review. Because this is the first film I have attempted to make in full, film critics tend to recognise a director's debut and whether to expect good things from them in the future. Therefore the references to 'Lapham opting to send a more nuanced and visual message' gives the director control over his product. Using my last name to address me is common in articles to show formality and an impersonal relationship, if I was addressed as 'Sam' it would be too colloquial, and if I was addressed as 'Sam Lapham' it would appear too formalised. 

Like in all reviews, there is a brief part of the article dedicated to explaining the plot, as I have done in the sentence beginning 'it follows Dylan...', thus introducing the character and the synopsis. Most film reviews tend to outline pros and cons in a critical way, which is what I have done when I acknowledge that 'what could just be a simple tale of revenge is made complex by the juxtapositions of the characters and their values,' showing the critic's ability to read further into the film's message. For the criticism, I referenced how 'it falls short only when concluding' and talk about how the ending feels slightly rushed. In my opinion the time jump between the epilogue and the scene before this feel slightly disjointed and don't necessarily continue effectively, so I wanted to outline this in my review. 

However, I end the review with what could be deemed the verdict sentence. Small reviews don't use a separate box for the verdict, instead the final sentence suffices as the conclusive point. So I began mine with 'nonetheless' to show how despite the faults it is still a 'strong story that defies both genre and expectation' which foreshadows the unique tone I wanted to set. Because it is my debut film, I thought that a critical review wouldn't be too harsh on it but focus on the potential of the director.