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Movie Review
Hey all,
I was fortunate enough to be offered tickets to a prescreening of this movie; I went last night with my recruiting station. Here's my $.02:
Cinematography: Decent. The directing of the film was pretty standard for an action movie. You'll see lots of quick shots and montages of action which are interspersed with POV shots looking through the red dot sights of the SEALs and whatever weapon they're using at the time. This effect definitely puts you in the hot seat, and you're able to see CQB movement and reactions in first person throughout firefights as you watch tracers fly downrange and hit their targets. It's definitely intense, making you feel like you're there, but I did feel like I was playing Call of Duty.
Acting and Plot: Not so great. The actors are split between real-life SEALs and professional actors. So, line delivery is pretty flat and the conversation feels awkward and forced at times. But I don't think that really matters for this film. The plot isn't really an overarching story that you'd see in a traditional film, but more of a glimpse of time in a deployment of the SEALs. It feels like you're just witnessing a string of interrelated combat missions rather than a movie.
Realism: I'll let you all be the judge of that. The tactics seemed reasonable to me, and I didn't see a lot of one man Rambo action, but it did seem like the only accurate combatants were the SEALs, who only shot headshots regardless of their distance to the enemy or the speed at which they were moving. I'd say that the main thing to be noted here is that the public gets a glimpse of the SEAL tactics. We get to see CQB, SWCC boats and tactics, HALO and HAHO jumps, covert submarine entrances and exits via the ASDS, nighttime shore entrances via zodiacs, and recon and intel gathering.
Overall i would give this film a 7.5-8/10. If you're looking for an artistic film this isn't it. But if you're looking for a high speed action film with elements of realism and a good message, you've found a winner. It seemed like a legitimate attempt (tactics, etc...) to showcase the SEAL community in a positive light, and will definitely be good for recruiting purposes. I won't give away too much, but the human element to this film was very touching and felt authentic. After it ended, the theater was quiet and everyone seemed to be in a somber yet appreciative mood (besides the fat man behind me who just asked his fat wife if he could refill his mega-gulp on the way out). It made me reflect over a good cigar about the sacrifices made by all of the men and women in the military, not just the SEALs, and it reinforced and compounded my beliefs that one should live life boldly and courageously, without fear of death, but also compassionately, always seeking to be a good example and to protect and help those who aren't strong enough to protect themselves.
Charlie don't surf.
-Jim
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