The phrase ‘style over substance’ tends to get a bit
overused in critical circles. Usually, it’s applied to films that are far more
interested (or at least are perceived to be more interested) in
showcasing cinematic style and craftsmanship over deeper textual or subtextual
meaning. On its own, there’s really nothing wrong with it as a label or even as
an artistic practice; hell, my favourite film of all time is very much style
over substance, and that’s one of the reasons I like it so damn much. But then
there are the occasional films that embody the phrase in a different manner.
Films where both the style and the substance have equal work being put into
them, but where one ends up succeeding the other for one reason or another.
Unfortunately, this film fits into that category.
