The Post (2017)

“The Post” had all of the ingredients of a great film, but sadly, the filmmakers made a McDonalds burger instead of a Michelin-star meal. It squanders an excellent cast and a brilliant director, creating a mediocre and forgettable film where none of them are firing on all cylinders.

Firstly, “The Post” was very badly marketed. The trailers promised an intense drama, in which politics clash with morals. However, four fifths of “The Post” don’t feature any intrigue, in fact, the first hour and twenty minutes are frankly boring.

Most of the scenes are poorly paced, I felt as though I were watching one long and tedious conversation after the other. Steven Spielberg’s best movies have a fantastic sense of momentum which “The Post” sorely lacks.

The film’s pace matches its dull cinematography. Every frame is flat and uninteresting, intensifying the sluggish atmosphere.

The performances were ok; it is disappointing that Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks weren’t given better material to work with. Both of them have given many performances that are far more powerful and memorable than their work in this film.

Another problem with “The Post” is how on-the-nose and blatant its messages are. One character’s struggles are monotonously repeated over and over again, highlighting that the film is unapologetic Oscar Bait, using the current political climate to its advantage. Whilst the film is about Nixon’s war against the press, there also seems to be an anti-Trump message running throughout the movie.

The only aspect of “The Post” that I can praise is its last twenty minutes; finally the film delivers the highly intense moral dilemmas that I wanted from the outset.

“The Post isn’t bad, but I expected so much more from a cast and crew of this calibre. I saw it two days ago and have already forgotten most of it. I found it disappointing, dull and forgettable.