A Film Review…Almost – IF

A couple of things before I start. First off, apologies to all concerned but I wasn’t able to get any Peetimes for IF as this wasn’t a normal cinema visit. Secondly, for similar reasons this probably isn’t the most insightful review ever written and I’m sure one of the RunPee family will come up with something more thoughtful. So…what am I burbling on about this time? Well, this was a big day for one member of the UK side of the RunPee clan, it was my grandson Theo’s first trip to see a proper, full length film. He’s five and a half and has visited The Light in New Brighton before. 

They do what I call a baby proof screening; the lights don’t go all the way down and the sound doesn’t go all the way up. If you have a baby up to a year old then you can bring them along and get a bit of grown up entertainment and company. Also there’s no need to worry if the youngling grizzles, cries, or poops because everyone is the same boat and there were always babies being fed, rocked, and changed mid film. Obviously those trips don’t count because he was too young to remember and the main reason for going was to get my daughter out of the house for a couple hours! Theo’s thoughts on Gemini Man, Cats, or Knives Out go unrecorded.

Are Any Of Them Scary?

The Light also do a thing called Toddler Time. This is to introduce children to the joy of cinema by opening the doors to pre-schoolers. The screening consists of shorter features such as Stick Man, The Tiger Who Came To Tea, or The Gruffalo. Alternatively they’ll put together a few episodes of a TV programme. This was what was on when I took Theo in his own right; we went to see a few episodes of Bing stringed together. Theo loved the cinema. By this I mean he loved the building! I don’t know for sure but I’m guessing that he takes after his grandfather in that the sights, sounds, and smells really build up the excitement as soon as you walk in.

Incidentally, his sister is an old hand at the cinema lark; Alice has been going since she was three. She was more likely to turn her nose up at toddler time and, instead, get tickets for Tenet. She had seen the trailer for IF and we had decided to book tickets and go on Sunday. Along comes Saturday and a childminding situation crops up. I’ve already booked tickets for the rest of the family so we’re a bit stuck vis-à-vis what to do with Theo. He is offered the chance of going to the cinema and he jumps at the chance…literally! He can’t stop running around in excitement.

Worse…Desperate

So there we go. Sunday morning we turn up, buy snacks and take our seats. For Theo everything was new whereas Alice noticed details like the animated version of the Paramount studio ident. Theo struggled with how dark it was when the lights went down and how to find his popcorn; Alice seems to have developed bat like senses.  But eventually we made it to the end of the film. Admittedly Theo and I weren’t in the same seats. Part way through he had decided that he would like to sit on the front row rather than the back. This was a relatively small price to pay and at least it meant I could jolly him along to the end.

How did I find IF? Entertaining, amusing, and all round good fun. There may have been a wee bit too much live action to keep a five year old fully entertained; he is looking forward to Despicable Me 4. But I found it fun, as did my wife, son, and granddaughter. Ryan Reynolds and John Krasinski are always good value for money and Cailey Fleming was excellent. IF is also one of those films that keeps you thinking “Is that wossname?” or “That sounds like thingie”. When the credits start rolling you’ll see quite a few names that may surprise you…check out who plays Keith! 

Movie Grade: A-