This really has been quite the year for music biopics, hasn't it? Love & Mercy covered the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson, Straight Outta Compton tackled controversial rap group NWA, and now I Saw the Light zeroes in on country music icon Hank Williams. Unfortunately, not all of them can hit the mark, and I Saw the Light tends to fall into that camp.

The story follows Hank Williams (The Avengers' Tom Hiddleston) during the late 1940s through the early '50s, when the only thing that can match his musical popularity is his crippling alcoholism.

Hiddleston is easily the best aspect about the film, getting completely absorbed in his role. Best known for his villainous role in the Marvel films, Hiddleston proves his ability to take on a polar opposite character and become unrecognizable in it. His mannerisms and southern singing voice are spot-on, and the most enjoyable scenes are easily those of him onstage performing.

Elizabeth Olsen also shines as Williams's wife, Audrey. She's no Reese Witherspoon in Walk the Line (though that is a tough act to match), but she certainly gives the job her all, and gives way to one of the film's most interesting aspects: the opposite dynamic between Audrey and Hank. Audrey has the drive to be a singer, but lacks the voice for it, whereas Hank has enough talent for the both of them, but is too busy drowning himself in booze.

Another strong quality that the film boasts is its production design. From the sets to the cars to the costumes, everything feels like an authentic representation of the time period. The film is what you would call a "period piece," intended to encapsulate a specific era, and in that regard, I Saw the Light hits the mark.

Unfortunately, for every technical nd acting quality present, there's at least one aspect of the story that falls flat. For example, when the film starts, Hank and Audrey are nearly ready to divorce, and you feel like you've missed a good thirty minutes of back story. This ties into the big problem with Hank himself: there's no growth. As amazing a job as Hiddleston does with the material, the material just doesn't offer any development for the character; he starts as a self-destructive drunk, and that's how he ends. I understand that that was a big part of his life, but it just would have been more impactful to see him in his early days and then fall from grace. Exploring Williams's songwriting process would have also been a nice touch. I don't need a history lesson on his inspirations or anything, but I'd like something greater than "songs just happen."

In the end, I Saw the Light is far from being a terrible movie. It has a lot going for it, from the acting to the visual design, and especially the music. But there just aren't enough musical moments, and the spans of time in between them can tend to drag because you feel like you're missing information. For all that the film does well, I'm giving I Saw the Light two and a half stars out of four.