After 12 years working with the legendary Christoper Nolan over the course of seven films, renowned cinematographer Wally Pfister takes his first shot at directing. While the film is not on the level of quality his former boss is use to putting out, this film does provide a nice launching pad to what could be a nice career as a director.
The story was written by Jack Paglen, a virtual unknown, who hit it big when his script for this film landed on the The Black List for its amazing work. While I have not read that original script that Paglen wrote, the script in this film was not bad at all. Director Wally Pfister likely changed some aspects here and there as scripts do get molded when they are set out to be filmed. The final script for the film starts out strong, however it does leave you scratching your head in a few places. The final half hour or so of the film doesn't hold up as well as the first ninety minutes of the film either. Likely because we are rushed deep into the plot with soft development.
The directing, lead by Wally Pfister, is fantastic. As I was watching this film on the large IMAX screen I was amazed by the amazing shots and visuals he had filmed. He has had so much experience over the years working with an amazing director that his eye for detail really shows off here. However he was not the perfect director in this film. The acting department clearly proves that. While Paul Bettany, Rebecca Hall, and Morgan Freeman deliver great performances in the film, veteran actor Johnny Depp is completely depthless. Of course this is nothing new to followers of his career over the years. Depp's heart is not in his acting as it once was, and unless he is playing a certain character, we are left with average at best acting.
An aspect of the film I truly loved was the score. Composed by Mychael Danna, who has done a lot of great work over the course of his career, delivers an amazing score. As the film flows by you can feel his score bringing much needed depth. I would personally rank this score on the level with one of my other favorite composers, Hans Zimmer. If you are watching this film in IMAX, that is just another added bonus as you will really fall in love with the score with the amazing sound IMAX delivers.
Overall, newcomer to directing, Wally Pfister, has a solid start to his career. The film is not perfect as it does have some key problems, but these problems aren't major, and the story is very enjoyable overall. I would also recommend watching this film in IMAX. With so many IMAX movies these days, mostly in 3D, it is a breath of fresh air to see a normal IMAX movie without wearing glasses. The sound and images are amazing on the giant screen, and its truly worth the extra money. While some don't like to rush out to the theater on a weekly basis, for those of us who go regularly, this is a must see right away. The rest should have no problem waiting until it comes to rental.
7/10
The story was written by Jack Paglen, a virtual unknown, who hit it big when his script for this film landed on the The Black List for its amazing work. While I have not read that original script that Paglen wrote, the script in this film was not bad at all. Director Wally Pfister likely changed some aspects here and there as scripts do get molded when they are set out to be filmed. The final script for the film starts out strong, however it does leave you scratching your head in a few places. The final half hour or so of the film doesn't hold up as well as the first ninety minutes of the film either. Likely because we are rushed deep into the plot with soft development.
The directing, lead by Wally Pfister, is fantastic. As I was watching this film on the large IMAX screen I was amazed by the amazing shots and visuals he had filmed. He has had so much experience over the years working with an amazing director that his eye for detail really shows off here. However he was not the perfect director in this film. The acting department clearly proves that. While Paul Bettany, Rebecca Hall, and Morgan Freeman deliver great performances in the film, veteran actor Johnny Depp is completely depthless. Of course this is nothing new to followers of his career over the years. Depp's heart is not in his acting as it once was, and unless he is playing a certain character, we are left with average at best acting.
An aspect of the film I truly loved was the score. Composed by Mychael Danna, who has done a lot of great work over the course of his career, delivers an amazing score. As the film flows by you can feel his score bringing much needed depth. I would personally rank this score on the level with one of my other favorite composers, Hans Zimmer. If you are watching this film in IMAX, that is just another added bonus as you will really fall in love with the score with the amazing sound IMAX delivers.
Overall, newcomer to directing, Wally Pfister, has a solid start to his career. The film is not perfect as it does have some key problems, but these problems aren't major, and the story is very enjoyable overall. I would also recommend watching this film in IMAX. With so many IMAX movies these days, mostly in 3D, it is a breath of fresh air to see a normal IMAX movie without wearing glasses. The sound and images are amazing on the giant screen, and its truly worth the extra money. While some don't like to rush out to the theater on a weekly basis, for those of us who go regularly, this is a must see right away. The rest should have no problem waiting until it comes to rental.
7/10