Devotion Review - Not A Great War or True Story, But A Great Showcase for Jonathan Majors and Glenn Powell
Editor's Note: Today, I'm excited to bring you the second of my new contributors, Christian Salazar, also one of my critic friends, who signed up to be a contributor back in October. I'm so happy to have him on as a contributor, and I hope you enjoy
As I stated in my review of The Woman King, we are now in that time of the year where awards season contenders are being driven out by studios in droves. The month of November and December is where awards season hopefuls usually peak. This is where we get our period cases, are in the love stories, and, most of all, are “true stories.” I put that last part in quotes because even though most of the stories are true, at the end of the day, it is Hollywood. As I have also explained in my review of The Woman King, Hollywood is known for taking historical events or true stories and embellishing them for the audience. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it can sometimes hinder a film.
When I first saw the trailer for Devotion, my expectations were middling: I do like both Jonathan Majors and Glenn Powell as actors, but I have my own set of issues with war movies. Similar to horror, war movies have their own set of tried intrude clichés: the soldier who is recently engaged dies 20 minutes later, the main character exclaims, “I didn’t sign up for this shit!”, no one is willing to fight until the protagonist gives a speech, etc. also, I am supportive and grateful for the Armed Forces, I can’t help but wonder if some of these films are nothing more than 2-hour recruitment ads. There’s a reason I prefer movies such as 1917, Dunkirk, and Top Gun: Maverick: these films go above those clichés. The first two films I mentioned are not afraid to show how truly an utterly horrifying war really is, while Top Gun: Maverick sticks to telling an emotional story about loss, grief, and redemption. With all of that being said, how does Devotion fare?
The film is about Jesse Brown (Jonathan Majors), the first Black naval aviator. Taking place during the Korean War, Brown is forced to endure all sorts of obstacles of that time period, be it subtle yet snide remarks or even just blatant hatred. As he continues trying to stay above the prejudices he’s dealt with, he meets and befriends Tom Hudner (Glenn Powell), a newly transferred fighter pilot.
If there’s one thing that Devotion excels at, it’s making great use of its two leads. Both Jonathan Majors and Glenn Powell are excellent together on screen as the two naval officers. Majors plays the role of Jesse Brown with great sincerity, making it very easy for the audience to root for his character. Portraying a somewhat different role than in Top Gun: Maverick, Powell is very likable as the well-meaning and empathetic Tom Hudner. Even with a script that feels extremely generic, both leads manage to carry the film.
As for the rest of the film, I feel incredibly conflicted. I understand the intentions behind telling the story: it’s a story about a forgotten hero in a forgotten war and has the potential to be an incredibly remarkable story of friendship being told on the screen. However, Devotion does not feel very remarkable at all.
My biggest issue with the movie is that the narrative is swallowed in a cyclone of clichés. None of the characters feel like characters, but one-dimensional archetypes: i.e., the bully, the new guy in town, the hard nose, the commanding officer, etc. Aside from the two lead actors, no one particularly stands out to me. Sure, not every character in Top Gun: Maverick had a massive, distinct arc, but they at least had personality. Even with a Jonas Brother (Joe) rounding out the cast of characters, the rest of the team was devoid of any personality.
One thing I will applaud the movie for is remaining very serious when it comes to its depiction of war. These types of movies sometimes run the risk of being jingoistic to the point where it derails any chance of either A - telling a compelling story or B - being taken seriously. Unlike, say, Pearl Harbor, Devotion doesn’t do that. It stays focused on telling its story rather than stopping dead in its tracks and becoming a 2-hour ad for recruitment. However, the way its story is told is where I run into issues.
I honestly feel like Devotion would have worked better as a mini-series as opposed to a feature-length film. The entire movie felt like one long first act and then, boom, the ending happens. I never found myself invested in anything happening (even though I would love to pick up the book from Adam Makos), and the film felt less like a movie and more like a chore to get through. The action scenes themselves are incredibly boring. Again, I’m not asking for popcorn spectacle with this film, but I was hoping for some white-knuckle intensity a la 1917. However, the movie does find its footing within the third act, but by the time it does, it’s too little too late. I didn’t quite feel as emotionally invested with the finale of this movie (as tragic and heartbreaking as it truly was) as I did with Top Gun: Maverick. If anything, I felt overwhelmingly underwhelmed by the time the end credits rolled. I’m actually bummed about Devotion because I wanted to like this a lot more than I did.
★★
If you'd like to watch Devotion for yourself, Devotion is now playing in theaters nationwide and will be streaming on Netflix after hitting Blu-ray.
Until next time!
Thanks to Thomas Stoneham-Judge from Movies For Reel, Shane Conto, Joseph Davis, David Walters, Ambula Bula, Matthew Simpson, Thom Blackburn, and Beatrice AKA Shakesqueer, for supporting Austin B Media on Patreon!
