A Star Is Born Review: 7 Ups & 2 Downs
A major Oscar contender.
Bradley Cooper's A Star is Born hits cinemas worldwide this week, and while it's easy to be sceptical about this being the third remake of the 1937 romantic drama, Cooper has categorically proven there's life left in the story yet.
Critics have been lavishing praise on the movie and with damn fine reason: it succeeds as both a powerful musical showcase and a heart-rending drama, and is sure to be a major player in the upcoming awards race.
While the movie would ultimately be a disappointingly safe pick for the Best Picture Oscar, it's clear the film is a front-runner in countless categories, and is likely to walk away with at least a few Academy Awards (and a truckload of nominations, no doubt).
Straddled expertly between crowd-pleasing musical drama and something a little darker and more artistic, A Star is Born is sure to please both mainstream audiences and those who like their movies a little more hard-edged.
If you were worried it'd end up as nothing more than cynical Oscar-bait, fear not: this is a legitimately great film in its own right, Oscars be-damned...