Darkest Hour doesn't offer anything new to the biopic genre

I went into Darkest Hour expecting to be blown away by it.  Gary Oldman is as close to an Oscar lock as there is in this year's race for best actor.  He's swept all the awards leading up to next week's big night.  However, as I was watching it, I was very underwhelmed.  Not so much by Oldman, who shockingly, has never won an Academy Award.  He was quite convincing and serviceable as Winston Churchill.  I think I was underwhelmed with the entire concept of the film.  

Darkest Hour portrays Churchill's first month as Prime Minister as the German threat is knocking on Britain's door.  It portrays him as a steadfast leader who knows that victory is the only answer.  His decisions are questioned at every turn as he races to rescue 400,000 soldiers from Dunkirk beach.

What this film doesn't do is add anything to the biopic genre.  It's a rather straightforward portrayal of a time and place that has had two better representations in recent memory.  Dunkirk, my personal favorite movie of 2017, shows the rescue of those soldiers in a riveting and original manner.  The Crown on Netflix also portrays Churchill in a similar manner.  Also, this film doesn't challenge the biopic format in a way that other, better films have done in recent years.  Steve Jobs, the criminally underrated film from Danny Boyle and Love & Mercy, the story of Brian Wilson both present historical figures in new and fresh ways.

I feel like if you're going to be considered a "masterpiece" as this film is being hailed as, you gotta come at me with something I've never seen before.  I'm all for Oldman winning best actor in a year in which there aren't standout performances.  However, 2017 saw two breakout performances that will stand the test of time.  Daniel Kaluuya in the breakout film of 2017, Get Out, and Timothée Chalame in Call Me By Your Name both are much more deserved.  Oldman's win feels more like a lifetime achievement award.  Again, I'm OK with that in a more traditional year.  Not in 2017.