Adult-blood!! (Adulthood (DVD))

Member Name: bz2886

Product:	Adulthood (DVD)
Date:	02/08/08 (407 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Finishes story of Kidulthood, well cast, exciting,

Disadvantages: Shouting and swearing everywhere [I love it :) ]

AdULTHOOD is the sequel to the much lauded cult film of a few years back named 'Kidulthood.'

For those of you who are a stranger to the original; the film is set in London and follows a group of fifteen year old inner city youths. I apologise for spoiling the plot slightly but I feel it is necessary to explain where the sequel, namely 'AdULTHOOD' is coming from. The film is set in a one day-one night time frame and this is also true of the sequel. The kids are given the day off school after a classmate's suicide and fill the day with a large helping of violence, bad language, petty crime, drugs and menial disputes which continue to escalate throughout the film until it all culminates in the killing of one of the youths ('Trife' played by Aml Ameen) by another ('Sam' played by Noel Clarke) at a house party.

The film has some interesting messages within it and is very intense and funny at times. However it has been criticised for perhaps overglamourising a wayward lifestyle and exaggerating the problems regarding society and the younger generation.

Both Kidulthood and Adulthood were written by Noel Clarke, who plays 'Sam' in both films. Adulthood is set years six years after the original and begins with Sam's release from prison. The opening credits attempt to summarise the first film but in my opinion, struggle to create much of an impression of what happened. Instead it merely serves to highlight the atmosphere and set the tone.
Upon Sam's release he goes home but finding the door locked, goes to visit his dad's grave. Here he is attacked by a knife-wielding youth and stabbed in the shoulder in the process. Sam now realises that despite serving his time, he has not been forgiven for what he did six years ago, setting out to find who it is that wants him dead. The list of suspects is long and mostly justified really.

The viewer is helped to identify with Sam as more of a normal person through a series of flashbacks to some of his time in prison. Here it is shown how Sam had a rough time inside and at times, he appears to have changed. he is no longer as unreasonable and violent as in the first film. Don't get the wrong idea, the is still the same old Sam, vicious, but this time, he sometimes chooses to do the right thing, or be the big man. Other times, he doesn't.

Unlike Kidulthood which focused on many stories and interweaved them, this installment centres on Sam although the majority of the original cast reprise their parts from the original, they are a mere sideline in the bigger picture. The exceptions to this rule are Aml Ameen who's character died in the first film, and Jaime Winstone, Ray Winstone's daughter, who is replaced by Scarlett Johnson who plays her cousin 'Lexi.'

These were two of the main characters and most impressive actors in the first film, which originally made me think that Adulthood may lack a little from its predecessor, however, in Adulthood, the acting, whilst not perfect, is solid throughout and consistent to the first film.

The new character, Lexi, is just as damaged as Jaime Winstone's 'Becky' was in the first film and Lexi is the only person who actually helps Sam. For this she is shunned by the rest of the group.

The other main characters returning are Sam's ex 'Claire' played by Madeline Fairley. She is now sporting a new boyfriend in the shape of super-cockney 'Danny Dyer.' It's always entertaining when he's about. Claire's part is small as she is the first person Sam visits after his own family.

The other two main characters are Femi Oyeniran and Adam Deacon reprising there roles as 'Moony' and 'Jay' from the original. They we're Trife's best friends and have more than enough reason to want to reap revenge on Sam. However, their characters have changed. Moony is now in University and has become something of an intellectual whereas Jay has gotten much, much worse. In the first film, he was the source of much of its humour, but now he is an uber-aggresive, violent drug dealer. With his character like this the film now seems a little darker and serious.

Jay has not forgiven Sam for what he did, but Moony wants to move on and these two spend a fair part of their time in the film arguing over what to do about Sam's release. They are supported by a few other new characters such as 'Dabs' (played by UK rapper Plan B, A.K.A Ben Drew) and his group of friends who are commissioned to carry out the hit on Sam. Dabs is offered money for this which he intends to keep for himself by tricking his gangmates into doing the killing out of loyalty and respect.

The film develops these characters enough to ensure that Sam's story is not overbearing and follows all of the actors throughout the day as they search for one or another. Again, as in Kidulthood, the script is well timed to build the suspense and gve a few close calls along the way. Whilst this is not original, Adulthood manages to pull it off quite well, meaning it develops an immersive, if a little aggravated atmosphere.

Numerous minor characters from the first film return throughout and this should make fans of the original feel like this film is just a continuation of the story in Kidulthood. Also, newcomers to the franchise, may be a slittle slow on the back-story and would probably be advised to watch Kidulthood before they watch this.

The camerawork is rather gritty and can not really be criticised, very similar to Kidulthood really. The films audio will be another catch for many people, as it features a thumping Hip Hop soundtrack featuring the likes of Dizzee Rascal, Sway, Wiley and Lethal Bizzle. Plenty of this type of music adorns the film is contrasted with a little grime to give the film its edge.

The story is plenty interesting and does not dwell on any part of itself for any longer than it has to. It may be a little violence and curse-word heavy, but this is somewhat artistic license used in order to make the film more entertaining and energetic.

My main criticisms of the film will not really be relevant to all. personally, I really enjoyed this film, but there will definitely be a few peole who will not appreciate its outlook. Swearing is commonplace and half of the dialogue is snarled or shouted. However, when a film's main subject is angry young people it would be hardly fair to pull it up for being like this. It is definitely 'aggy' or aggravated in a few places and this may grate on some people but in my opinion, it gives the film the atmosphere of misunderstood and irrational hatred which it is so desperately trying to convey.

It is not a recreation of the original, I would say more like closure on the first story. With both films being set in one day, Kidulthood found it difficult to show the aftermath of the day's events. Adulthood fills in the blanks quite nicely and the characters are well acted throughout the most part. Especially considering the age and experience of most of it's cast.

Some people may struggle with the films dialect, a mix of cockney-yardie slang and curse words might leave a few people reaching for the 'Urban Dictionary.' Not a personal problem of mine, but if you think you might be a bit out of touch, then you will have to pay attention to what is said. Well, either that or watch it with a rastafarian / teen relative / cockney friend.... assuming you have one of the above. For those of you like me who are sporting a hoodie, never fear, you'll have no problems at all.

The violent streak in this film is a little worse than Kidulthood in places. I do not find this in the least bit surprising considering the subject matter. If 'Driving Miss Daisy' is your cup of tea then I'd probably avoid this film whether in the cinema or the shop. If you like a bit of aggro or kickoff in your films sometimes and you are immune to this type of cinema then I would recommend it to you for sure.

To fans of the first film, a trip to the cinema might be a good idea. This film was better than I expected without a doubt and it is quite satisfying to learn the fates of the characters. This alone is enough to make you watch the film and its does perpetuate some new messages. The film doesn't glamourise the crime and violence anywhere near as much as Kidulthood did, but it serves to make it's overall point slightly more intelligent. It attempts to teach a few new lessons and the right the wrongs of the first film where it sometimes came across as cool and at times funny.

Adulthood is definitely worth a watch if you liked Kidulthood. If you didn't like the original, you probably don't like this. If you're new to the franchise, I'd approach with a little caution, however, the film will pleasantly surprise most. this is 100% not a family film, make sure the kids are in bed before you press play. If you want something gritty, AdULTHOOD is a very decent piece of work and whilst it won't appeal to all, it is still a very enjoyable, thought-provoking film.


Also posted on ciao.co.uk

Summary: Better to have seen the first film, but still decent enough but it is an aggressive film