Ben Oliver

Now
Banner image for Blinded by the Light
film

Blinded by the Light

Stay away from the girls. Follow the Jews!
30 August 2019

An Asian kid from Luton finds solace from his humdrum life in the works of Bruce Springsteen.

I like Springsteen but I must admit I had a bit of an allergic reaction to this. It’s an inoffensive paint by numbers jukebox musical but something in the way it slaps the lyrics on the screen and shows them going into the protagonist’s head put me right off from the get-go.

Add in some clumsy politics, cack handed attempts at feel-good moments, mixed up timelines and no attention to detail… I couldn’t wait for the credits to roll.

It’s not a disaster. It’s just that Blinded by the Light treads a very well trodden path and brings absolutely nothing new to the game - to the point of dire boredom.

Your mileage may vary.