After watching this movie I asked a few people, who haven’t seen it yet, what they think it is. Most respond with something to the effect of “Bourne with a girl” which I guess is a really apt description.
The film opens with us watching Hanna (Saoirse Ronan) in the snowy forest hunting for her dinner and training with her father, Erik (Eric Bana), to be the most adaptable and able bodied murderer that you can imagine. Soon enough the outside world is opened up for us and Marissa and her team of operatives comet o get Erik and Hanna. Hanna works her way across Africa and Europe to return to her father after assassinating a woman she believes is Marissa (Cate Blanchett).
The film is a through and through action film and it works. It begins with us understanding how and why this sixteen-year-old girl is able to handle herself the way she does, then it moves into her mission and then a long game of cat and mouse as Marissa has sicked Isaacs (Tom Hollander) and his crew of misfits after this very special young girl as she tries to enjoy her time out of the supervision of her father and out in the world that she’s only heard of in stories that she’s read while in the forest training.
It’s great to see Hanna in the real world and switch from being curious to being afraid of such simple things, like the electric kettle and a fluorescent light, because it’s exactly what you would expect from someone who’s lived in a secluded world like she has. Where the movie might’ve taken a step too far is with what I like to call “Date Night” moment of the film. However, it’s so minimal at that point that I’m willing to forgive it, and I’m sure you are too.
The score, by The Chemical Brothers is just too brilliant. It’s loud and in your face as much as the action of the film. Along with a very fairy tale setting of the film the music matches in a way that I could never imagine.
At first one of my biggest problems with the movie was the character of Marissa. She was just a bit too much that “evil” character. Yes, she’s the antagonist, I understand she’s supposed to be bad. But at the same time there were a couple of scenes, namely one with a toothbrush, where I felt it was a bit overdone. However, while thinking about it for a while it does fit perfectly. We’re introduced to Hanna’s love of Grimm’s fairy tales and later in the film we actually meet a character which is pretty much Grimm himself and it just brings to setting all back to us.
While I really enjoyed the movie and will definitely be revisiting it in the future I can only hope that this marks what’s going to come with the year of 2011 and by the time the year is over this movie becomes only a footnote of a film and not creeping into my top ten of the year come January 2012.
IMDB says 8.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes says 71%
I say 8.5/10
I say 9/10, even. Really, really enjoyed this – probably more than I know I even should. It's not THAT terrific, but it feels special to me and I think it's going to grow on me over the years. And that soundtrack – I hate that it's exclusively on iTunes since I'm old and like having physical CDs, but I had to get it. Sooooo good.
I agree with you man. The rating is purely preferential. The film is one of the best of 2011 so far and the soundtrack is amazing.
Can't wait to revisit it later this year when it comes out on DVD to see how well it holds up on repeat viewings, especially to keep jumping at Tom Hollander's character.
Dylan is just upset because he's old.
But yea…this movie is fucking awesome. You're spot on about the score. Hanna is one of those movies where the soundtrack is part of the film itself rather than something tacked on top of it. Every beat is in tune with what's happening on the screen. I'm glad you liked this. It's one of my favorite movies.