A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, which combines romance with fantasy in order to depict a more ultra-modern love story, has had severely mixed reviews since its release, and after watching the movie it is clear to see why. In the film, Colin Farrell’s character, David, meets Margot Robbie’s character, Sarah, and together the two embark on a mystical excursion, in which a strange GPS leads them to a series of doors which allow the freshly-acquainted pair to rediscover pivotal moments from their past all over again.
Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell are phenomenal actors whose on-screen chemistry appears effortless. The two seem to bounce off of each other, and they bring a sense of controlled tenderness to their portrayal of their characters that is refreshing to see. This, paired with appealing cinematography, created an easily watchable visual experience. It is however, in my opinion, this chemistry that elevates a script which is perhaps not as well polished as it could have been.
The script managed to be fast-paced and slow-moving all at once. At moments it felt like nothing was happening, and the writers missed the chance to make the watchers feel as though they were swept up in the whirlwind romance alongside the characters. While some people can appreciate a slow-burn, including myself, the characters met through a mutual friend’s wedding and almost instantaneously became interlinked, so why then did it feel so slow-paced?
This being said, the film did have its emotive moments, and the scenes where both characters talk to their respective parents, Robbie as a younger version of herself and Farrell as a stranger, were beautiful to witness. The writers just did not delve deep enough into the problems to create a moment that moved the viewer enough to be remembered as a touching piece of cinema. It is this that I believe did a disservice to the film, as it seemed to speed from one trauma to the next rather than exploring each completely.
All in all, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey had good central plot points, and had the potential to be amazing, but came across slightly lacklustre, and was not as ‘Big’ or ‘Bold’ as the title indicated.
