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Created Sep 29, 2012 06:39PM PST • Edited Oct 02, 2012 05:44PM PST

1. Quality

2. Summary

   Good 3.0

   Never Let Me Go never fully had me. It starts well enough, setting up a sensitive love triangle amongst a bunch of Stepford Kids at a remote British boarding school, and then reveals an intriguing SciFi ethical dilemma. However, the movie is atmospheric in the extreme and low key to a point of catatonia. Just as one of the characters was prone to the occasional primal scream, so I wanted to scream “DO SOMETHING!”

   Still it has a lot to recommend it, including a strong cast, a sure sense of style and that intriguing medical ethics scenario at its core.

4. Acting

   Good 3.0

   Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield and Keira Knightley are extremely poised as young adults who were raised together and now are sorting out their feelings about one other and their peculiar destinies.

   Izzy Meikle-Small, Charlie Rowe and especially Ella Purnell are more impressive as their childhood selves.

   Sally Hawkins makes a brief but distinctive turn as a teacher who reveals to them their sacrificial destinies.

5. Male Stars Good 3.0

6. Female Stars Very Good 3.5

7. Female Costars Very Good 3.5

8. Male Costars OK 2.5

10. Film

    Good 3.0

11. Direction Good 3.0

12. Play Very Good 3.5

13. Music Very Good 3.5

14. Visuals Good 3.0
15. Content

16. Edge

    Risqué 1.9

17. Sex Titillating 2.3

18. Violence Fierce 1.7

19. Rudeness Salty 1.7

21. Reality

    Surreal 2.3

22. Circumstantial Surreal 2.8

23. Biological Supernatural 3.1

24. Physical Natural 1.0