The Death of Stalin

Following the death of the Russian Dictator; Joseph Stalin, the inevitable power struggle for leadership of the Soviet Union ensues.

Cinematography: 11/20

For a film set in Russia, the cinematography is passable in the way it exemplifies the cold and gritty nature of Russia but it doesn't feel completely authentic in its presentation which is a big shame considering that the entire film takes place in Russia. The soundtrack is fine with the USSR anthem being played on several occasions, but other than that not much memorable music is present in the film unfortunately.

Main Cast: 14/20

For the most part the main cast does a very good job. However some acting in some scenes come off more as stereotypes of Russian people rather than actual developed characters.

Supporting Cast: 12/20

The Supporting cast other than Stalin and his son are very disappointing and sub par. They play stereotypes rather than what their characters were actually like and serve as comedy relief rather than strong characters.

Originality: 20/20

No film has depicted such an unknown section of history in a comedic way as this film does. The film blends comedy and documentary style filmaking in a sub par way but it's still original nonetheless.

Story: 19/20

The Story for the most part is above average surprisingly, however the film fails at correctly blending the right amount of comedy and seriousness in some scenes which takes away from the score.

Overall: 76/100 (Silver)

Overall I found The Death of Stalin disappointing. The trailer markets it as a comedy but not spoiling it, the film plays out more like a documentary than a dark comedy. Thats not to say there are not elements of comedy in the film and sometimes it is often hilarious in the way it paradoies historical events, and for some the documentary style filmaking won't be a problem, for me it wasn't but it was just a disappointing sight to see a mismarketed film like this considering the amount of controversy surrounding it.

- Jordan