The Descendants

Now, when a film as hyped up as much as The Descendants has been in recent months, my natural reaction is to be incredibly harsh and have very high expectations. Add George Clooney, a man of limited appeal and talent in my opinion, into the mix then I was ready to not be impressed by this film...

Matt King (Clooney), a descendant of one of Hawaii's first white land-owning families, must decide whether to go ahead with a multi-million dollar land deal that will destroy a vast bit of Hawaiian forestry to be replaced with tourists and condominiums. 

At the same time, he faces a personal crisis. His wife, Elizabeth, has had a boating accident, leaving her in a coma. Matt now faces the decision to disconnect her life support and become a single father to his two daughters, 17 year-old Alexandra (Shailene Woodley) and 10 year-old Scottie (Amara Miller) while dealing with the frustration of the locals at his proposed business deal.

Another twist in this story is a secret involving Elizabeth (Patricia Hastie) which makes Matt doubt his life up that point. It is the actions following the revelation that, I feel, gives the film it's heart. Matt reacts in a very human way initially and then in a very compassionate way which gives the film a great tenderness despite his very obvious hurt.

The film is very gentle, but very powerful and I thought about it a great deal after watching it. Although it didn't feel impressive whilst watching it, it is a film that has grown on me and I am going to see it again. I cannot quite put my finger on why it was impressive, but this seems to be a common opinion amongst critics that I respect.

The leads were all impressive and although Clooney has limited range as an actor, he was very good in this film, possibly the best I have seen him in anything. Woodley and Miller were charming and competent in their roles and I hope they use this as a platform to elevate themselves to great things. 

I really liked the way that Hawaii itself was a character in the film, showing what some consider to be a paradise island, to be as dark, rainy and depressing as any other place on earth. Clearly there is no such thing as paradise.

Verdict: Packed with some excellent performances and a fab soundtrack, this was an engaging and thought-provoking film with a bitter-sweet ending. An excellent film that will stay with you for some time.