The Life of Chuck (2024) review

Flanagan's adaptation of a Stephen King 'fantasy' novella (collected in If It Bleeds) is told in reverse chronological order: in Act Three, Planet Earth is in its final days so divorced high school English teacher Marty (Chiwetel Ejiofor) tries to reconnect with his ex-wife Felicia (Karen Gillan).  For Act Two, accountant Chuck Krantz (Tom Hiddleston) has an impromptu dance number with Janice (Annalise Basso) while Juilliard dropout Taylor (Taylor Gordon) plays drums for them and Act One is all about the sad early years of Chuck (played at various ages by Cody Flanagan, Benjamin Pajak and Jacob Tremblay) as he's raised by his grandparents (Mark Hamill and Mia Sara), becomes fascinated with the locked-up cupola in their Victorian home and finds out he's a natural at dancing.  The poster for this claims it's a "life-affirming" experience except that isn't truly supported by the material and it should leave the viewer feeling unnecessarily morose: Hiddleston's carefree moment in shopping area is nice, but it's overshadowed by the fact he has an tumor in his head (which gives him terrible headaches), and his childhood is nothing but stacked up despair as his relatives - including his father, pregnant mother and his grandmother - pass away.  The first section, with earthquakes, wild fires, famine and a permanent destroyed Internet, feels like an altogether different movie than what follows it, and what it's basically arguing is that life is only a handful of memorable moments, mostly suffering ... and then oblivion.  Honestly, that's as unnerving as The Dark Half.