Spectral

great budget, well shot, really good CGI, no eye-rolling acting, and an incredibly interesting premise.

The setup and first act built the film into a far more compelling story and premise than you might expect, looking at the poster. I expected this film to be a hardcore version of ghostbusters/ sci-fi action flick. I could just put my feet up and disengage my mind.

The first half was a brilliantly put together military mystery, however, and had me at full attention. Albeit not exactly high brow drama, it was effective and enthralling, seemed well-written and well-designed, and set us up for an interesting conclusion.

As the film progressed, however, the believability and script writing went to heck in a hand basket, and we had polarity reversals, ion compressors, fourth states, and other techno jargon all over the shop.

The kicker was the final act, however, which turned a supernatural sci-fi thriller into a run of the mill storm-the-base piece of science fiction junk, complete with cheesy dues-ex-machinas, rushed conclusions, random changes of heart, and tacky poorly thought-out ultra-chunky and unrealistic Space Marine weaponry/ armour.

What a disappointing end to a super cool beginning.

Is this the best movie of 2016? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Is this the worst movie of 2016? ABSOLUTELY NOT!

Spectral is just a decent movie which I wouldn't recommend to everybody. By that I mean, if you are someone who watches 3-4 movies/month, skip Spectral and watch something else, a more 'worth- your-time' movie. On the other hand, if you watch a lot of movies (more than 3-4/week) and you are into sci-fi and a gamer(optional), then watch it.

*Nice special effects: check.

*Somewhat interesting plot: check.

*Decent acting: check. *Is everything plausible or scientifically backed up: NOPE.

*Does plot come without holes: NOPE (but how many movies or series have flawless script and plausible/possible scenes? Especially the sci-fi ones?).

At the end of the day I enjoyed watching this film more than, let's say, hmmm... :

*The Expendables 2,3,4,...,244

*Transformers 2,3,4,...,127

*Fast and Furious #WeLostCount...

Nothing more, nothing less than a solid 6/10. I will definitely watch it after a couple of years.

Would have given it a 10 based on story concept alone. But unfortunately it was a bit tedious in delivery.

The concept is like none I've seen before! So that alone made it worth seeing.

The action scenes are pretty awesome too. If only the characters and writing were sharper in delivery.

The twist at the end kinda cool too.

The hero tech tho a bit unbelievable in such a short time to save the world. But it's still a very very cool movie regardless.

This is what Hollywood does best; a massive CGI galore that supplements a mediocre storyline that has as many plot holes as a Swiss cheese.

Initially I hadn't heard about the movie, and knew nothing about what it was about, prior to getting the chance to sit down and watch it. I did snoop around on IMDb just moments before sitting down to watch it. And what made me stay in the seat was that IMDb mentioned that it was about a special-ops team dispatched to fight supernatural beings. What is not to like about the supernatural?

So I sat down to watch "Spectral" with literally no expectations. So I was genuinely blown away come the ending of the movie. Wow, this was a special effects movie of massive proportions. Both the visual effects and the sound effects were amazing, and they alone make it worthwhile to sit down and watch "Spectral".

As for the acting, well, let's just say that this is not Shakespearian acting on any levels, nor is it acting that would incur any kind of statue or trophy. However, I will say that James Badge Dale really carried the movie singlehandedly with his performance as Clyne. He was the only one who stood out in this myriad of impressive CGI effects and blasting sub-woofers.

If you sit down to watch "Spectral" and expect a grand story, then you will be sorely disappointed, because this movie is essentially as simplistic as they come. A group of special-ops are trapped behind enemy lines, fighting a deadly enemy that they can't see with the naked eye. And that is it; the entire storyline summarized in a single sentence.

But to make it better, then this simplistic storyline has more plot holes than a Swiss cheese. So many things just didn't make any logical sense, and equally many things just didn't add up. But hey, all these shortcomings were instantly blown away by a cascade of impressive CGI special effects and a constant bombardment of sound waves from the sub-woofer.

"Spectral" is the type of movie that you just unhook you brain and lean fully back in the chair and enjoy all the pretty images on the screen. A perfect choice of movie for a lazy evening or if you are nurturing yourself back together after a binge...

Something sinister is killing soldiers in war torn Moldova. A weapons geek is sent out to help. Simple plot, but well executed with a couple of twists. The acting and effects were good, it moved along at a good pace and in general it was a good movie.