'Hanna'

April 14, 2011|By Marcus at the Movies | Channel 2

"Hanna," starring Saoirse Ronan and Eric Bana, is now playing in theaters. The thriller is rated PG-13.

The story starts out in the middle of a forest near Finland, where a father and his daughter live by themselves.

Bana, who also goes by Eric in the film, is probably the best home-school teacher ever. Period. And back at you is Hanna, best home-school student ever, played by Ronan.

Dad teaches Hanna college-level book stuff: foreign languages, social skills, survival, and killing. They rehearse continually for the day she makes the decision to leave the nest and carry out a very thought-out plan with her father when they reunite.

She decides the time is now. Dad leaves first, in a suite with a back pack, on foot through the snowy forest. She follows soon after.

Part of the plan is for Hanna to get captured on purpose. Ronan is such a great young actress, and no matter what movie she's in, I'm always pulling for her. Maybe it's the blond hair but in “Hanna,” she looks like a completely different person.

Even though dad is still part of the picture, it's mostly Marissa and Hanna, one-on-one game on.

The film cleverly rations out information little by little, making you wonder why this and why that, making this a pretty decent movie. For instance, why is Marissa so mean?

There are some light moments in the film, especially when Hanna tags along with a vacationing family of four from England. Hanna bonds with the girl who's about the same age, and they connect with a couple of boys from Spain. Hanna puts her home-schooled social skills and book smarts to work.

The absolute show stealer is young Jessica Barden. Look for her to grab some lead roles in the near future.

I liked this movie. It's like unwrapping a big present, and at the end, you put the bow back on.

|

|

|