Whoever said this is “The best Stephen King film ever made” is insane.

At the end of the world we also say goodbye, and thank you, to Chuck.

Directed by Mike Flanagan (Doctor Sleep, Hush, Gerald’s Game) comes this adaptation of a Stephen King novella. It stars Tom Hiddleston (Avengers) Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave) Karen Gillan (so many actors are basically known from Marvel projects now) Jacob Tremblay (Room) and Mark Hamill. The Life of Chuck has a evocative trailer, Stephen King’s name on it, and a host of familiar faces, so it is immediately magnetic. While I don’t want to come across as negative in this review, because I had a good time watching it, it wasn’t that “profound and magical.”

That’s a bummer thing to say, isn’t it?

Marty Anderson (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is a school teacher witnessing the end of the world. California is sinking into the ocean. Sinkholes are opening up across the country. The Internet stopped working. Everyone is lost and confused, but most confusing of all are adverts for Charles Krantz (Hiddleston) appearing everywhere. Marty seeks solace with his ex, Felicia (Gillan) in his final days. Neither of them have heard of Krantz before.

I had a choice of movie this week, and although The Life of Chuck wasn’t as life-affirming as advertised, I don’t regret my decision to see it. It was unique and unusual. You can tell it is unusual with its three act structure; the first act being “Act Three”. What’s this now? The film’s structure is played backwards; beginning with the end of the world, and rolling in reverse for the titular “life of Chuck”.

The film is certainly quite whimsical. The horror stories that Stephen King is known for, or even that director Flanagan is known for, are not present. Even the literal end of the world is played rather humorously. Playing out from Ejiofor’s perspective, and without much connection to the outside world. We see the passive acceptance of local people as something as big as the universe ending. “Do you know that PornHub is gone?” remarks one person.

It isn’t shy for humour, I was laughing with it at key moments. I also wasn’t expecting a full dance number during act two. Apparently Tom Hiddleston and Annelise Basso practised for 50 days, and it was excellent. The film does have a charm and pleasantness shot through it, as the adverts suggest. It speaks to the individual; the singular person’s effect on the world and how they truly matter. When it is all said and done, it does feel like a well-intentioned fable about being human in a big wide world.

But this is no Spielberg movie.
The Life of Chuck is a 110 minute long movie, but it feels like it is missing something. You leave the cinema feeling kinda good about yourself, but emotionally distant as well. The movie wants to catalogue the life of Charles Krantz, but there are great parts that remain unexpressed. He has a son we barely see. He has a wife we never really meet. There are broad strokes of what he did and the decisions he made, but these are established by looking at the overall picture by the end.
It has an unorthodox structure, as well as a twist that has everything make sense. But these things might confuse some audiences. I say this because people were confused when my showing ended. But if you have a passing interest in the fantastic, you should be able to figure it all out.

The performances are good, the cast is excellent, the visuals are very good. There’s just an emotional heart that isn’t quite resonating. There were also minor creative decisions that irked me. Like all of the street lights going out at once being accompanied by a loud BOOM. Why? And other similar sound mixing choices that I won’t spoil here.

It’s certainly a fun, existential experience. If you are a fan of Hiddleston, know that he is only in one third of the movie. The real weight of the movie’s plot rests with Ejiofor and the two child stars Jacob Tremblay and Benjamin Pajak. Who are both very good, it has to be said.

A very middle ground movie for me. But not one I regret going out and watching!

Additional Marshmallows: I would totally add a half-star for Mia Sara. I had no idea she was in this, but she was in one of my favourite childhood movies: Ridley Scott’s Legend (1985).