How I Live Now (2013)

Wonderfully offbeat film!

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Thought the story line was very good. I expected the film to be longer and thought it would go into more dept. The start to where they get taken I also thought was going to be longer thought we would get to see her adapt to her life more before they got taken away. Would have been good it we see what the girls life was like more when there where took. Thought we would have gotten to see what happened they boys and how Eddie made it home. I think the film would have been much better if we got to see these things and how they felt with life after they made it home if we saw more . Was very disappointed in the movie. Think these things would have made it so much better

My advice for anyone would be to give this film a go, I'd stress any new viewer not to be put off by the film's first twenty minutes or so, during that time, you like me will probably be struggling to keep an interest, where we see stereotypical American teenage spoilt brat forced to spend time in dreary Britain, where cats climb the dinner table and people drive thirty year old cars. If you can get past the rather soppy 'falling in love' aspect of the film (tough stretch I grant you as it's the main thread of the film) what you get is a movie featuring some frankly scary and dark realism. The impact of terrorism first on the idyllic lives of the film's youngsters, and then on the country as a whole was delivered in a harsh and unpalatable way, which made the film very watchable.You could argue the film is over sentimental, I even heard someone say it felt like terrorists had invaded The Twilight Sage, I can understand, the 'true love' did seem a little overplayed, stretch belief beyond that and it's a film well worth watching.Saoirse Ronan is good value for money, the transformation in her character was very well done. (Had a Turn left feel, DW fans!)Worth a watch 7/10

I've never seen Saoirse Ronan before but I was impressed by her performance in this film. I'd even rank her as one of the top three actresses aged 30 or younger, the other two being Jenna Coleman and Jennifer Lawrence. Actually, Saoirse reminded me of Jennifer because they look fairly similar (Jennifer's hotter though) and have similar acting styles. I've never read the novel so I can't compare it to this film, but it seemed to me that Saoirse was perfect for the role of Daisy. Daisy started off as being antisocial and a bit bitchy but despite her rudeness, I didn't dislike her and she developed into a much nicer person throughout the film. I thought her romance with Eddie was a bit rushed and nobody in the film even mentioned the incest going on between them, but overall Saoirse did an excellent job.I also liked Piper, played by Harley Bird, although at times, I thought she put a bit too much emphasis on some of her lines. However, she has a considerable amount of talent which makes up for her inexperience. She did a great job of showing how a child would react in those circumstances and even though she was a bit whiny at times, I wasn't bothered because it was stated in the movie that it was part of her character's personality.George MacKay and Tom Holland did good jobs as Piper's big brothers but didn't impress me as much as the girls. I also thought they didn't get enough focus. Although Daisy and Eddie were in love and Daisy warmed up to Isaac, I felt that her relationship with Piper is what carried the film. If not for the sisterly love between them, this movie would have been pretty weak. Daisy and Piper seemed more like sisters than cousins and I think their relationship was portrayed very well and became the heart and soul of the film. I thought that the terrorist attacks and Daisy's romance with Eddie didn't get enough focus, even though I think they were supposed to be a central part of the story. However, it did show how far one can be willing to go to protect a loved one as Daisy committed murder and serious injury in order to protect Piper. Despite not seeing any battles or explosions, the film did show us the aftermath of these events by showing a pile of corpses and giving Eddie post traumatic stress disorder. I think it may have been going with the idea that some things are better left to the imagination, so I'll give the movie credit for that, but I think a bit more attention should have been given to why Daisy and Piper were taken away. When the soldiers arrived, I wasn't sure if they were taking the girls to safety or simply kidnapping them. Because of the lack of focus on the terrorism and romance, I think the script was a little weak and slightly unfocused but Saoirse and Harley's acting made up for the flaws in the storyline.

I didn't expect the movie to be that good! Saoirse Ronan & Harley Bird are both amazing. I didn't expect the movie to be that good! Saoirse Ronan & Harley Bird are both amazing. I didn't expect the movie to be that good! Saoirse Ronan & Harley Bird are both amazing. I didn't expect the movie to be that good! Saoirse Ronan & Harley Bird are both amazing. I didn't expect the movie to be that good! Saoirse Ronan & Harley Bird are both amazing. I didn't expect the movie to be that good! Saoirse Ronan & Harley Bird are both amazing.I didn't expect the movie to be that good! Saoirse Ronan & Harley Bird are both amazing. I didn't expect the movie to be that good! Saoirse Ronan & Harley Bird are both amazing. I didn't expect the movie to be that good! Saoirse Ronan & Harley Bird are both amazing. I didn't expect the movie to be that good! Saoirse Ronan & Harley Bird are both amazing. I didn't expect the movie to be that good! Saoirse Ronan & Harley Bird are both amazing. I didn't expect the movie to be that good! Saoirse Ronan & Harley Bird are both amazing.