In nearly 20 years as a Hollywood star, Ewan McGregor has been a prominent figure in the world of mainstream and independent cinema. He has successfully accomplished the daunting task of moving between genres without his fanbase or stock levels diminishing greatly, while crafting roles that are masterful, engaging and thrilling. Of course not everything the Scottish actor has done has been critically or commercially successful, but more often than not he has produced acting performances that allow his films to become more than what it should, extending his abilities and enthusing them with a vigour and passion that wouldn’t of been possible in anybody else’s hands.
His latest film Jack The Giant Slayer, based on the fairy tales “Jack and The Beanstalk” & “Jack The Giant Killer”, is released in UK cinemas today and while it has gathered average reviews from critics and has been underwhelmed at the US box office, here’s hoping that it finds success here and across Europe in the coming weeks.
Due to the film’s release here in the UK today, Ewan McGregor is the latest actor for a close examination of his career as we remember 5 Awesome Performances and 5 That Sucked…
5 Awesome Performances…
5. Big Fish – Young Edward Bloom
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Tim Burton’s most restrained film Big Fish tells the story of Edward Bloom, an enthused storyteller who likes to recount tales that have happened to him over the years that vary from those of generosity, to to those of love. The story begins with an older Edward Bloom, played brilliantly by Albert Finney, recounting the tale of the day he caught the uncatchable fish, leading us to meet Edward Bloom in his youth played by Ewan McGregor. This begins the magical journey that Burton and screenwriter John August take us on for two hours of glorious cinema.
Big Fish really is a movie that has to be sat through multiple times in order to fully appreciate. It blends reality and fantasy wonderfully and has a pure heart at its core.
McGregor is enigmatic and charming in the lead role, possessing the ability for audiences to feel sympathy and engage with Edward, something particularly crucial when spending so much time in a characters’ presence. If you’re familiar with Burton’s previous work but have missed out on this, give it a try, you may be pleasantly surprised.
4. Moulin Rogue – Christian
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On paper, Moulin Rogue shouldn’t have worked. By the start of the 21st century, musicals were simply not mainstream anymore and were declared dated. However Baz Lurhmann had other ideas and did his best to bring musicals back and in a big way! He cast Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman as the romantic pair Christian and Santine that fell in love in Paris in the early 20th century. The chemistry between McGregor and Kidman is off the charts and there can be no denying that McGregor’s performance is pure brilliance, excelling in the dramatic scenes but also showcasing his versatility with his vocal talent.
Blending modern music to its historical setting, Moulin Rouge is a brash, bold and ultimately joyous musical that captures the trials and tribulations that love can have over a person and the risks they are willing to take to get it. McGregor was Golden Globe nominated for his performance.
3. Beginners – Oliver
2. The Impossible – Henry Bennett
1. Trainspotting – Mark Renton
And 5 Performances That Sucked…
5. Deception – Jonathan McQuarry
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Released in 2008, Deception stars Ewan McGregor as the nervous and timid Jonathan McQuarry who befriends Hugh Jackman’s incredibly charismatic and arrogant lawyer named Wyatt Bose, and starts to gain some of the self-confidence that Bose possesses. The plot focuses on both being part of an exclusive sex club while both falling in love with the woman simply known as “S”, played by Michelle Williams.
The problem with the film is that it’s just far too predictable and could easily have been a straight to DVD release had it not had an A-list cast. McGregor in particular just doesn’t seem to be interested in finding the intricacies of the character and when the shift in tone changes within the film the contrast in personality on McQuarry is far too obvious and two dimensional. The performance needed a more gradual shift in personality but instead it all happens very suddenly as his love S is placed in danger.
Admittedly Jackman as the pretentious Bose does provide some enjoyment as a very serious threat to McGregor’s McQuarry, but in the end the film is merely a standard thriller that was critically and commercially unsuccessful.
4. Angels & Demons – Camerlengo Patrick McKenna
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Ron Howard’s adaptation of the Dan Brown novel The Da Vinci Code was incredibly successful at the box office and despite a critical mauling, a second adaptation was inevitable. Starring Tom Hanks as the protagonist Robert Langdon, Angels and Demons see another intricate plot involving conspiracies surround the Catholic Church, or more specifically around the time or electing a new pope.
The film, while arguably better than the convoluted The Da Vinci Code, is still a very average throwaway thriller that doesn’t really generate any real suspense and plods along until its admittedly, decent conclusion. However there were changes from novel to film, something normally expected with an adaptation, but in particular one change that involves McGregor’s character is slightly baffling.
In the novel, McGregor’s role is that of a Spanish priest named Carlo Ventresca, but for reasons that are bewildering the role was switched to a Northern Irish priest named Patrick McKenns and thus McGregor must provide the suitable accent for the role. It really can be seen as a very bizarre switch considering that McGregor’s performance doesn’t really give any suggestion to the audience that the change was necessary. It’s a very bland, laboured and apathetic performance that doesn’t instill any of the character traits from the novel and an actor such as Javier Bardam would have been able to bring the impassioned pain and eeriness that Camerlengo exudes.
In the end, the film and the performance by McGregor are forgettable, which is a shame as I feel another approach to the film may have allowed the film to feel more authentic and a better film as a result.
3. Cassandra’s Dream – Ian Blane
2. Emma – Frank Churchill
1. Eye of the Beholder – The Eye
Source.
His latest film Jack The Giant Slayer, based on the fairy tales “Jack and The Beanstalk” & “Jack The Giant Killer”, is released in UK cinemas today and while it has gathered average reviews from critics and has been underwhelmed at the US box office, here’s hoping that it finds success here and across Europe in the coming weeks.
Due to the film’s release here in the UK today, Ewan McGregor is the latest actor for a close examination of his career as we remember 5 Awesome Performances and 5 That Sucked…
5 Awesome Performances…
5. Big Fish – Young Edward Bloom
Tim Burton’s most restrained film Big Fish tells the story of Edward Bloom, an enthused storyteller who likes to recount tales that have happened to him over the years that vary from those of generosity, to to those of love. The story begins with an older Edward Bloom, played brilliantly by Albert Finney, recounting the tale of the day he caught the uncatchable fish, leading us to meet Edward Bloom in his youth played by Ewan McGregor. This begins the magical journey that Burton and screenwriter John August take us on for two hours of glorious cinema.
Big Fish really is a movie that has to be sat through multiple times in order to fully appreciate. It blends reality and fantasy wonderfully and has a pure heart at its core.
McGregor is enigmatic and charming in the lead role, possessing the ability for audiences to feel sympathy and engage with Edward, something particularly crucial when spending so much time in a characters’ presence. If you’re familiar with Burton’s previous work but have missed out on this, give it a try, you may be pleasantly surprised.
4. Moulin Rogue – Christian
On paper, Moulin Rogue shouldn’t have worked. By the start of the 21st century, musicals were simply not mainstream anymore and were declared dated. However Baz Lurhmann had other ideas and did his best to bring musicals back and in a big way! He cast Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman as the romantic pair Christian and Santine that fell in love in Paris in the early 20th century. The chemistry between McGregor and Kidman is off the charts and there can be no denying that McGregor’s performance is pure brilliance, excelling in the dramatic scenes but also showcasing his versatility with his vocal talent.
Blending modern music to its historical setting, Moulin Rouge is a brash, bold and ultimately joyous musical that captures the trials and tribulations that love can have over a person and the risks they are willing to take to get it. McGregor was Golden Globe nominated for his performance.
3. Beginners – Oliver
2. The Impossible – Henry Bennett
1. Trainspotting – Mark Renton
And 5 Performances That Sucked…
5. Deception – Jonathan McQuarry
Released in 2008, Deception stars Ewan McGregor as the nervous and timid Jonathan McQuarry who befriends Hugh Jackman’s incredibly charismatic and arrogant lawyer named Wyatt Bose, and starts to gain some of the self-confidence that Bose possesses. The plot focuses on both being part of an exclusive sex club while both falling in love with the woman simply known as “S”, played by Michelle Williams.
The problem with the film is that it’s just far too predictable and could easily have been a straight to DVD release had it not had an A-list cast. McGregor in particular just doesn’t seem to be interested in finding the intricacies of the character and when the shift in tone changes within the film the contrast in personality on McQuarry is far too obvious and two dimensional. The performance needed a more gradual shift in personality but instead it all happens very suddenly as his love S is placed in danger.
Admittedly Jackman as the pretentious Bose does provide some enjoyment as a very serious threat to McGregor’s McQuarry, but in the end the film is merely a standard thriller that was critically and commercially unsuccessful.
4. Angels & Demons – Camerlengo Patrick McKenna
Ron Howard’s adaptation of the Dan Brown novel The Da Vinci Code was incredibly successful at the box office and despite a critical mauling, a second adaptation was inevitable. Starring Tom Hanks as the protagonist Robert Langdon, Angels and Demons see another intricate plot involving conspiracies surround the Catholic Church, or more specifically around the time or electing a new pope.
The film, while arguably better than the convoluted The Da Vinci Code, is still a very average throwaway thriller that doesn’t really generate any real suspense and plods along until its admittedly, decent conclusion. However there were changes from novel to film, something normally expected with an adaptation, but in particular one change that involves McGregor’s character is slightly baffling.
In the novel, McGregor’s role is that of a Spanish priest named Carlo Ventresca, but for reasons that are bewildering the role was switched to a Northern Irish priest named Patrick McKenns and thus McGregor must provide the suitable accent for the role. It really can be seen as a very bizarre switch considering that McGregor’s performance doesn’t really give any suggestion to the audience that the change was necessary. It’s a very bland, laboured and apathetic performance that doesn’t instill any of the character traits from the novel and an actor such as Javier Bardam would have been able to bring the impassioned pain and eeriness that Camerlengo exudes.
In the end, the film and the performance by McGregor are forgettable, which is a shame as I feel another approach to the film may have allowed the film to feel more authentic and a better film as a result.
3. Cassandra’s Dream – Ian Blane
2. Emma – Frank Churchill
1. Eye of the Beholder – The Eye
Source.