Franklyn

Franklyn is another super-flashy but less well known movie from the U.K.  It takes place mostly in London, but also in the steam punk Meanwhile City.  The style used in Meanwhile City is visually stunning, especially considering this movie was made on a budget and an attempted breakout for writer/director Gerald McMorrow.  

The key characters are introduced right off the bat, and all rather quickly. Unfortunately, none of the characters gets enough spotlight or backstory which makes it difficult to really care what happens to them.  This is one of few movies that really is hindered by its brevity, there simply was not enough time to flesh out the characters.  The movie attempts to center on four completely different storylines at the same time; trying to do that in just over an hour and a half really invites problems.  On top of that, you really have to pay attention to figure out what the hell is even happening in this movie -- don't blink.

Despite its shortcomings in storyline, this is definitely not a bad movie.  The visuals and especially Meanwhile City in general will hold just about anyone's attention.  The casting was fine, though I still always think of Ryan Phillippe just as the guy from Cruel Intentions.  

If you have a thing for steam punk things and complicated stories, give it a shot.  If you're just looking for a popcorn movie...this could still work, but I wouldn't recommend it because at the end you'll have no idea what you just saw.

All in all, a decent movie.

Grade: C+