Three more kind reviews for Starfish have been shared online this afternoon. The latest issue of Empire magazine has a 4**** review for the film, and comments on Tom's natural performance. Read the others in full via the links below. The photo above was shared by the Stamford Mercury.
Tom Riley, who plays Tom Ray, also comes across as utterly convincing in his role – he is helped along by lifelike prosthetics work, which was created by London’s Millennium FX make-up department headed by Melissa Lackersteen... ...Starfish is essential viewing. It’s the type of film that doesn’t get made often enough, let alone for the big screen. It is beautifully crafted at times and with a focused retelling of the Ray family’s tragic ordeal. It should also help to raise awareness of Sepsis, which it should be commended for. So what are you waiting for? Just go to see it. Flickreel
It’s a difficult journey, sympathetically portrayed by Riley in a credible prosthetic. The film ends inspirationally, not only because that’s the way the real-life story ends, but also because it would be almost impossible to watch did it not. We are swamped with what’s often referred to as “inspiration porn”, uplifting stories in which people make use of their sheer heroic resolve in order to overcome their disabilities and achieve extraordinary things. What these types of stories miss is the humiliation of the situation – how emasculating it can be, how dehumanising. It is difficult enough to begin with to imagine the feeling of, say, being unable to use the toilet or climb the stairs by oneself. But that’s as nothing compared with your daughter telling you you’re not her father, or your wife being unwilling to make love to you. Under the circumstances, it’s easy to empathise with Tom even as he alienates his family, indulging in anger and alcohol. The person he almost becomes is genuinely unlikeable, yet entirely sympathetic, and that’s a feat rarely seen. Mr Rumsey
