Spectral

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.

Loved the performances from the soldiers, their voices were extremely believable; they spoke with clear intent and purpose throughout.

The action was well choreographed. I found the sound design to be well done and matched the FX (visual) and corroborated the story being told.

The dialog made good sense, and there was an excellent focus on information being conveyed back and forth throughout the characters' interplay, and for the story itself.

I found the revelations and discoveries to be quite interesting, feasible, believable, and relatively congruent with science to be satisfying.

The first film (for this individual) which relied heavily on "on- the-ground" military action that I felt was non-offensive, nor hyper-stylized...

I applaud the film-makers here! Rock solid; Enjoyable.

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...

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.

A civil war in Moldova sees US forces assisting in the fight against insurgents. They end up facing something far more dangerous. Scientist Dr Mark Clyne is flown there when the hyperspectral imaging goggles he invented capture an image of something that is impossible to explain; a ghostly human figure. Technicians thought it was just a glitch, CIA officer Fran Madison believes that it is some sort of active camouflage used by the insurgents and the locals think it is literally seeing ghosts. A team, accompanied by Clyne and Madison, is sent to get a closer look and hopefully get samples. What they find is like nothing they expected and soon they are fighting for their survival.

I thought this was a solid action film. There are plenty of genre clichés but there are also some decent twists... my early theories about the nature of the spectral images were all wide of the mark. When the truth is revealed I thought it was original and interesting. There is lots of exciting action from start to finish; the special effects are pretty good. The cast is solid with James Badge Dale doing a fine job as Clyne and Emily Mortimer impressing as Madison... she even got to use the Russian she is fluent in. Secondary characters are a little cliché; soldiers who don't initially take to Clyne then bicker when things go wrong. Also somewhat silly is how Clyne acts like 'MacGyver'; repurposing a load of equipment to make new weapons when he realises the nature of the threat. Overall though if you don't want a film that needs to be taken seriously but do want lots of action and isn't too gory or sweary for younger viewers then this is worth a watch.