There seems to be a real lack of original British sci-fi/fantasy feature films these days. I’m not talking about adaptations from books or comics, or Hollywood films made in the UK, but original screenplays made by British directors. As much as we now claim Terry Gilliam as our own, he pretty much exists in a world of his own anyway. When FRANKLYN had its world premiere at the London Film Festival last year it stood out because not only was it British but also because it was one of only three sci-fi/fantasy films showing. Although we would rather show such films at SCI-FI-LONDON, it is also nice to see genre films showing at mainstream festivals. This lack of decent original Brit SF is one of the reasons why we run our 48 Hour Film Challenge, to encourage filmmakers to make more content. At this year’s festival FRANKLYN writer-director Gerald McMorrow took part in one of the Film Labs to share his experiences about making sci-fi on a limited budget, and his film is a testament to what can be done.
FRANKLYN is McMorrow’s first feature film and it is an ambitious, multithreaded movie that not only looks good but also makes you pay attention to what is going on. McMorrow actually refers to it as an urban fairytale, which is a fair summation. The film follows four characters: Jonathan Preest (Ryan Phillippe), an atheist vigilante who seeks revenge on the leader of the futuristic, religion-controlled Meanwhile City; Emelia (Eva Green), an artist from a privileged background with emo tendencies; Milo (Sam Riley), a young man with a broken heart; and Peter (Bernard Hill) a deeply religious man who is searching for his son, a disturbed Gulf War veteran. The film opens with Preest in the dystopian Meanwhile City and these scenes are rich with imagination and intrigue, then it switches to contemporary London, although one that doesn’t seem entirely familiar, as we follow the other three characters’ stories.
However, as it changes locations from Meanwhile City to London, it changes genres, which, unfortunately, could lose some of the more hardcore genre audience. It goes from being a visually stunning sci-fi film to an urban drama about love and loss, but it is worth sticking with because at the end all the strands are pulled together into a satisfactory resolution. Don’t expect to see the dark, dystopian epic that it has been sold as, because it is much more than that. Of late, original British genre films have been taking the comedy route with varying degrees of failure, from FAQ ABOUT TIME TRAVEL to the not-so-good LESBIAN VAMPIRE KILLERS – so it is actually refreshing to see a genre film that isn’t afraid to be intelligent, dramatic and a little different, and above all uniquely British. It is definitely worth watching, but with an open mind.
FRANKLYN is out DVD and Blu-ray now from E1 Entertainment and is available from major retailers including Amazon
Review: Chris Patmore