Armageddon Time, James Gray’s (Ad Astra, The Lost City of Z) 1980 take on the pursuit of the American Dream, is a film with good intentions, but one that felt plagued by a plot that we’ve seen hundreds of times in cinema before. Even more detrimental to its predictable story was its attempt to impart wisdom to its audience, almost all of which we are already keenly aware of, especially in its release year of 2022. Unfortunately, The United States of America has been notorious for its class privileges, inequalities, and injustices. While we all have the opportunity to pursue the American Dream, specific paths often have far more obstacles to overcome than others. Gray successfully showcases this, but it’s hardly a discovery, and its overarching story has become quite a cliche.
I should preface this rather scathing review by saying I liked Armageddon Time. Its trailer hooked me, and despite three of the film critics I follow each giving this a review similar to mine, I knew that I would still watch it and likely do so in a theater. Gray hasn’t directed a film that I haven’t liked. Ad Astra was my second favorite film of 2019. Two Lovers was also a movie that I liked very much. I appreciated aspects of The Lost City of Z, We Own the Night, and The Yards, even if they didn’t have much to say then, let alone enough to be remembered years later. Sadly, while well made, Armageddon Time will be a film that few of us see, and even fewer of us remember.
I was more excited about seeing Anne Hathway (Interstellar, Les Miserables) headlining a drama than any other factor. It has been far too long since her knockout performance in Rachel Getting Married, a 2008 film that earned Hathaway her first of two Oscar nominations for acting. Since winning an Oscar for 2012’s Les Miserables, Hathway has had difficulty finding movies that showcase her talent. While The Intern was a cute comedy and a film that I enjoyed, the Hathaway I want is the one I see in dramatic roles, not sweet and easy cookie-cutter comedies. Films like Rachel Getting Married showcase how she can take audiences from the pinnacle of resiliency to the depths of despair in a fraction of a second, a feat that she perfected in the vastly underrated Love & Other Drug. Sadly, she was underutilized as Esther, school PTA President, and backboneless mother to our lead character, Paul (Michael Banks Repeta – The Black Phone).
Repeta is the star of this film, though his character could be, at times, more likable. Paul is a sixth-grade Jewish boy living in Queens, New York. The first twelve years of his life have brought him little adversity. His biggest problem seems to be his older brother, Ted (Ryan Sell), who bullies him a little, but nothing more than what an older sibling might do to a younger one, or his, at times, overbearing father, Jeremy Strong (The Trial of the Chicago 7, HBO’s Succession), a man who isn’t afraid to whip out his belt if either of his sons is drifting too far off the path he has worked hard to lay out for each of them.
Paul’s rebellious streak has slowly earned him a reputation at the school that even his PTA-President mother cannot protect. As a result, he strikes up a friendship with Johnny Davis (newcomer Jaylin Webb), a black classmate in the sixth grade for his second year in a row. The distinction between Paul and Johnny is apparent from the start. The class has an early onset of the school year field trip to the Guggenheim Museum. When Johnny mentions that he doesn’t know if he can go because the trip costs a lot of money, Paul, without missing a beat, offers to pay for him, telling Johnny (and us) that his family has a lot of money. And such begins a friendship between the two young boys that diverges in two different directions through no decisions of their own. Paul’s family has the money to move him into a private school after one too many run-ins at his public school. At the same time, Johnny spends the movie dodging being moved from foster care, as protective services deem his grandmother’s dementia too far advanced to care for a rising teenager adequately. As much as we are uncertain whether Paul is a character we can always cheer for, Johnny is one of the film’s most likable characters.
The other character with the most redeemable qualities is the always fabulous Anthony Hopkins (Silence of the Lambs, The Father), who plays Paul’s grandfather, Aaron. The grandson and grandfather adore each other. He’s kind-hearted, wise, and level-headed. When Paul says that he wants to be a famous artist one day, without a second of delay, Aaron encourages his grandson to chase his dreams, even going so far as to tell Paul to sign his latest drawing, as that is what artists do. This is one of the many instances where Aaron uses his wisdom and experiences to help shape Paul while offering his unwavering support. Aaron first reflects in a film with each of its other characters making incredibly bold decisions and then provides suggestions for all to thrive. Fresh off of his Oscar win for The Father, a film in which he hauntingly portrays a man battling late-stage dementia, Hopkins plays Aaron as a man who is so keenly aware of his surroundings and his effect on others that he is the stabilizing magnet, the one that everyone in the family most respects, most notably Paul.
Ultimately, ArmageddonTime felt doomed from the gate due to its lack of originality. Gray’s intimate story fell victim to its lack of creativity and underwhelming message. Yes, certain classes in our society have it more difficult than others. It was unfair then. It is unjust now. It will be unfair in the future. At the same time, all will see and experience this, whether, on one side of the coin or the other, there will be times when the more privileged individuals will take note of the inequalities and try to do something about it. In contrast, others will look at the same situation and merely think, “I wish it weren’t this way, but this is how it is.” Genuinely, ArmageddonTime does tell a timely message. Unfortunately, it’s a similar message we have seen before and said in more profound ways. ArmageddonTime never really stood a chance at success.
Plot 6/10
Character Development 8/10
Character Chemistry 7.5/10
Acting 9/10
Screenplay 6/10
Directing 6/10
Cinematography 9.5/10
Sound 6/10
Hook and Reel 7/10
Universal Relevance 8/10
74%
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