Sam Mendes’ latest, Empire of Light, is a film that should have been more interesting but ultimately becomes a letdown.
The Production: 3/5
In December of 1980, Hilary Smalls (Olivia Colman) is the duty manager at the Empire Cinema on the coast in Margate, England. It is an older cinema that has seen better days, once a four-plex with a screen on each floor plus a top-story grand ballroom overlooking the ocean, now reduced to only the two lower screens that are kept up in near movie palace condition. Hilary has been battling with mental illness for quite some time and has just been prescribed lithium, which is making her feel rather numb to life. The general manager of the theater, Donald Ellis (Colin Firth), has been taking advantage of Hilary’s condition, often asking her to his office for an extra-marital affair. Newly hired usher Stephen (Michael Ward) is a young twenty-something black man who has been applying for college as an architect major but keeps getting turned down, and wants to leave this seaport town to escape the rampant and often violent racism from local skinheads and bigots. The two outsiders sense a connection and begin a secret relationship. Hilary decides to go off her medication without telling anyone since she now feels better, but as the lithium begins to leave her body, her mood swings return, causing not only friction between her and Stephen, but also gives her the courage to stand up to Ellis during the theater’s premiere screening of Chariots of Fire. Hilary continues to spiral downward until her social worker has her recommitted to the psychiatric hospital for a few weeks. Stephen begins dating Ruby (Crystal Clarke), a girl he had previously fell in love with but allowed to get away. Upon Hilary’s return, a riot erupts in the street outside the theater, eventually erupting into the lobby, and Stephen is severely beaten and hospitalized. The staff at the Empire are devastated, and projectionist Norman (Toby Jones) asks Hilary if she has gone to visit Stephen in the hospital, and urges her to do so. Her visit cheers up Stephen quite a bit, with the two remaining friends as Stephen leaves Margate, finally being accepted to a school in Bristol.
Writer-director Sam Mendes (in addition to the marketing campaign for this film) has said that Empire of Light is his tribute to the magic of cinema. Sadly, that is what is missing from this film, often playing more like a workplace drama where the setting could really be just about anywhere. Well, with two exceptions – the scene with Norm showing Stephen how to run the dual projectors in the projection room, and Hilary finally succumbing to a private screening of Being There. The 1980 setting is also not entirely clear unless you pay attention to the changing theater marquee that lists films from 1980 to 1981. The two saving graces of the film are the performances by every actor in the film, even unknowns (at least to US audiences) who round out the theater staff like Tom Brooke as Neil and Hannah Onslow as Janine, and the cinematography by legend Roger Deakins (who picked up the film’s lone Oscar nomination), which makes the film beautiful to look at. But that isn’t quite enough to really recommend Empire of Light for more than one viewing.
Video: 5/5
3D Rating: NA
Empire of Light was captured by Roger Deakins in 4.5k resolution using Arri Alexa Mini LF cameras and completed as a 4k digital intermediate in the 2.39:1 aspect ratio. Disney (under the 20th Century Studios banner) has released the film on Blu-ray (although the film is available digitally in 4K HDR) with a pleasing 1080p AVC-encoded transfer that pushes the format to its limits. Often bathed in yellow hues, Deakins’ cinematography really shines with rich fine details from the carved mouldings in the lobby, fabric textures in the screen curtain, as well as facial features. Black levels are mostly good, often dropping to the darkest grey yet still retaining very good shadow detail. There were no noticeable compression artifacts.
Audio: 4/5
The default DTS-HD MA 5.1 track is quite good, but never really has a chance to wow the audience, which is fine considering the fact this is essentially a dialogue-driven drama. The track features a well-balanced yet wide front soundstage with the surrounds mostly limited to ambient atmospherics and score extension. LFE is adequate, offering a nice low-end to the Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross score. Dialogue is clear and understandable throughout.
Special Features: 1.5/5
Creating “Empire of Light” (1080p; 18:12): A typical EPK behind the scenes piece with the cast and crew saying how great the script was and working together on the film.
Digital Copy: An insert contains a code the redeem an HD digital copy of the film on Movies Anywhere.
Overall: 3.5/5
The only real reason to watch Empire of Light is for Roger Deakins’ Oscar-nominated cinematography. I was really looking forward to this film for its promised celebration of the magic of cinema, something the film unfortunately lacks.
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Todd Erwin has been a reviewer at Home Theater Forum since 2008. His love of movies began as a young child, first showing Super 8 movies in his backyard during the summer to friends and neighbors at age 10. He also received his first movie camera that year, a hand-crank Wollensak 8mm with three fixed lenses. In 1980, he graduated to "talkies" with his award-winning short The Ape-Man, followed by the cult favorite The Adventures of Terrific Man two years later. Other films include Myth or Fact: The Talbert Terror and Warren's Revenge (which is currently being restored). In addition to movie reviews, Todd has written many articles for Home Theater Forum centering mostly on streaming as well as an occasional hardware review, is the host of his own video podcast Streaming News & Views on YouTube and is a frequent guest on the Home Theater United podcast.
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