A group of 12-year-old of friends play an innocent game of Capture the Flag in the neighbourhood woods, arming themselves with nothing more than sticks, their imagination and a simple set of rules. One afternoon the game takes on a more serious tone and the quest for victory pushes the boundaries of friendship, giving the would-be warriors a glimpse of the darker side of human nature. Will child s play turn to something more real or will these boys battle it out and win the war? A must watch for all those that remember what it is like to let your imagination run away and who loves the great classics Lost Boys, The Goonies and Stand By Me.
This one is a strange one. It plays out like a war movie but this is all in the imagination of neighbourhood kids, their weapons are made out of crude materials like twigs and hockey sticks but in the head of these kids are real guns and this is what the audience sees. Whatever is in the heads of these kids we see and it’s an adventure to behold.
Remember when you were young and played the likes of cops and robbers or even a bit of X-Men without the flying or super powers? We believed we could conquer the world until we grew up and discovered rent, taxes, death and other nonsense that knocks you down before you’re able to pick yourself up again. Life sucks but as a kid it can be a truly miraculous thing from best friends through to daring adventures… you could have it all and not have a care in the world!
In I Declare War that’s what the audience will remember as they watch this tactical warfare unfold. These kids do have relationship woes though, the kid passed over for the new kid in town, best friends torn apart by ambition and the need to win, even the delusional kid who could fart out a novel if only they knew how to construct a sentence.
There’s a whole host of characters here for adults to relate to and while they swear like troopers on the battlefield when you get down to it all these kids need in the world outside, some balloons and twigs to have fun…
It’s a simple film with a simplistic approach to the world which works well. There have been plenty of films made on a similar budget that fail to bring to life the characters on screen but I Declare War manages not only to take the audience on a journey but with talented young actors brings a world of imagination to life.
Of course the characters do have their own problems to deal with and with one among them hurting, he’s not going to let the game end without a touch of blood being spilt!
A nifty little film!