Spectral (2016)

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...

Fmovies: Didn't learn about this movie till a week before it was released, and based on the previews alone I was thoroughly excited. The preview gave it a "Final Fantasy: Spirits Within" feel to it; however, while watching it with the same expectation I also had a feel to another blockbuster "Aliens." Both movies I loved for my own reason, and felt this movie pulled those reason into one to make this, so two thumbs up.

Actors I felt were on point, as well as effects. Probably watch it a few more times with the hopes to dive deeper into the meaning, though I feel I got the premise on the first viewing.

Being prior military, I did like watching their tactics; yet, having never been a Special Forces Operator I'm sure there are aspects that have been Hollywood, but from my own personal experience the stuff I did notice did fall in line to what I have done, so good on them for getting those right.

Highly recommend the movie for Combat and Scifi experience. While taking things (maybe not intentionally) from some older movies, I really felt this was a whole new experience and loved every second of it.

If I were 30 or 40 years younger I'd likely rate this movie higher. But I'm not, so I can't...or won't.

The FX, both visual and sound, are very well done and my hat's off to those teams. Score: A The acting is decent and mostly believable. Score: B- But those plot holes are large enough to sail a modern-day cruise ship through. So I'd have to score the script a solid F.

Summary: this won't be the worst film you've ever seen and if watched with a thumpin' sound system (a big woofer is required)you'll likely get a little pumped in spots. But don't be surprised if you look at your buddies and do a few eye rolls.

Spectral fmovies. First, the Good: There is a lot of eye-candy - like a video game trailer. The production design, stunt-work, locations, visual FX (CG AND miniatures), score, and camera work are all very, very respectable - as good if not better than some more "mainstream" movies I've seen. The soldiers (for a change) look like they've actually handled a weapon before (although some of the tactics are kind of silly). The acting is decent -i.e. bland yet not so bad that it's distracting.

The Not-So-Good: The writing is borderline unforgivably bad - with more than a few parts ripped right out of other movies. I felt like I was getting hit with a cliché' club through most of it - and caught myself laughing out loud at how ridiculously BAD some of the dialog exchanges were. There IS one inkling of an original idea here (the genesis of the baddies) but that's about it. Everything else has been done before ... and probably too many times. The Deus Ex Machina factor plus the MacGuyver-esque solutions were really hard to stomach.

Overall, if you're bored and want to shut your brain down for 110 minutes, it's worth watching ... if only for the FX

I really don't know from where others are coming.

Even one Romanian author said that the girl talked in bad Romanian.

The girl and the boy were talking in Slovenian.

Which was a disaster error from producers of this film. Shooted in Hungary, stated that is Moldavia and talking Slovenian.

It's like you shooted film in America, stated that its Mexico and people talked french.

It's hilarious bud after all the geography and language failures it's still decent movie.

People should really learn some basic facts before doing things

Soldiers vs. ghosts... science vs. superstition. One of my favorite themes of fantastic cinema is the basis of Spectral, an entertaining experience which combines elements of Aliens, Ghostbusters and The Asphyx, made with an interesting visual style in extraordinary European locations, even though its irregular screenplay avoids it from being totally satisfactory. I liked the central mystery of Spectral, as well as the main character's deductions, whose attitude is sober and rational at the beginning, like it corresponds to a scientist, in order to later get into supernatural territory when the evidence becomes undeniable. The actors fulfill with the dramatic requirements of the screenplay, starting by James Badge Dale, who credibly integrates his character's scientific and heroic facets. Meanwhile, Emily Mortimer adds adequate doses of government paranoia, and a warm motherly warmth a la Ripley, when she must take care of Newt (I'm sorry, Sari), the orphan girl rescued from the ruins. And finally, Bruce Greenwood also makes a good work as the classic military leader full of courage and determination. On the negative side, the screenplay includes a big number of coincidences (ALL the materials the soldiers need are on the floor of the destroyed city, as if they were playing Doom), various poorly defined characters with prefabricated dialogues (it seems that screenwriter George Nolfi got paid extra cash every time he wrote "Go!") and a general narrative superficiality which betrays the ingenuity of the ideas explored by the movie. But, well... despite my complaints, I had a good time watching Spectral, and I can give it a moderate recommendation because of that