Since the trailer was released, movie fanatics were looking forward to seeing the unlikely duo – Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper – in A Star Is Born. The hype for the movie slowly built up as the date of its release drew closer. After all, many were dying to see the legendary Lady Gaga take on her first leading role in a major motion picture.
However, the question remains: Will the movie live up to its hype?
Source: Telegraph
To answer the question that’s probably on everyone’s mind, here’s our honest review about the movie and Lady Gaga’s acting debut since we had the privilege to catch the screening last week. We’ll be rating A Star Is Born based on the acting, plot and characters, as well as musical soundtrack.
PS: This article may contain a few spoilers. Read at your own risk!
1. The Acting
While we all are familiar with Bradley Cooper’s performance on the silver screen, this time, it was Lady Gaga who really stole the show. For a newbie, she was so natural (no poker face here) that made it pretty hard to believe it was really her on the screen. Playing the female protagonist, Ally, she beautifully transformed into her character and told her story so eloquently. Ellen DeGeneres was right, she does make a good actor and we think she deserves the applause, applause, applause!
Source: Fox Entertainment Group
Meanwhile, Bradley Cooper did an amazing job portraying a character struggling with addiction, depression and suicidal tendencies. Through the Golden Globe nominee’s stupendous acting, we get to see the struggles of people suffering from mental illness and substance abuse.
All in all, the lead actors and the supporting actors certainly did justice to their characters. Fun fact: Did you know that this movie also marks Cooper’s directorial debut?
Verdict: 4.5/5 stars
2. Plot & Characters
Since this was a remake of an old Hollywood movie, people were already familiar with the characters and plot, especially if you’ve watched the earlier versions of the film.
FYI, this movie was remade three times; it was even remade into a Bollywood movie, Aashiqui 2.
Source: Fox Entertainment Group
While we didn’t connect to the characters emotionally, they are definitely pretty well-rounded characters. For example, Ally was both innocent as well as a feisty, determined woman. I appreciated the fact that the characters were morally ambiguous and faced real-life challenges just like everyone else.
The plot, however, was somewhat predictable and there wasn’t any pivotal moment that elevated the movie. Instead, it gradually grew as the characters faced each conflict, which is probably why the transition from the Rising Action to Climax was a bit slow.
Verdict: 3/5, (mainly because of the laggy transition).
3. Musical Soundtrack
One word: Mind-blowing.
Featuring mostly original songs, A Star Is Born was a musical treat to everyone. This is because it featured all kinds of music genres, some of which might make you want to just dance. For instance, Lady Gaga’s rendition of “La Vie En Rose” was a nod towards traditional pop while Jackson Maine’s band played rock country music.
If you didn’t know, some of the biggest names in Hollywood wrote the songs and musical soundtrack for this movie. These people include Mark Ranson, Andrew Wyatt, as well as Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, themselves.
Source: Backstage
Personally, there were three musical moments that became an instant hit for me, and they are:
- Lady Gaga’s rendition of “La Vie En Rose“. It felt like Edith Piaf, herself, was singing!
- Bradley Cooper’s guitar shredding skills. He’s got mad skills!
- Lady Gaga’s performance of “I’ll Never Love Again” during the final scene. It was tear-jerking.
In a nutshell, the soundtrack of A Star Is Born is gritty, emotional and raw. Plus, those tunes aptly captured the journey of the main characters in the story.
Verdict: 4.5/5
Source: Fox Entertainment Group
IMO, A Star Is Born is a good movie overall but the only downer for me was the sluggish transition towards the end. Having said that, at least the movie ended on a very solemn note with the final song leaving everyone in the cinema feeling quite melancholic. I’d say you definitely don’t need a million reasons to catch this film because the Gaga-Cooper combo (a star was really born in this show, no brownie points for guessing who) and its awesome soundtrack are enough to motivate any movie lover (and Gaga fan) to head to the cinema.
Have you watched this movie in the cinemas yet? Let us know what you think of it in the comments below!
Also read: M’sians Praise Local Movie for Highlighting Police Corruption, But Some Are Boycotting It
