The Uprising review

Andrew Garfield’s charisma can’t save Paul Greengrass’s grim and depressingly generic period piece

The Uprising review

TL;DR

  • The film 'The Uprising' stars Andrew Garfield and is directed by Paul Greengrass, focusing on the Peasants' Revolt of 1381.
  • It is criticized for being a disjointed and emotionally shallow historical epic, likened to a History Channel rerun.
  • Andrew Garfield's portrayal of the protagonist, Ploughman, is described as an unconvincing hero lacking magnetism.
  • Supporting actors like Jamie Bell, Cosmo Jarvis, and Thomasin McKenzie are noted as stronger presences.
  • The film's visual style, including handheld camerawork, is seen as outdated and contributing to a nauseating experience during action scenes.
  • Despite a few high points from supporting actors and a gruesome moment, the film suffers from excessive scenes of the Ploughman polishing his scythe and debates.
  • The movie fails to effectively draw parallels to today's political climate, leaving the audience to connect the dots.
  • A brief title change to 'The Uprising: The Rise of Robin Hood' was considered, despite historical inaccuracies, possibly as a marketing attempt.
  • The film is described as being as fun as trench foot and compared to other underperforming historical epics.