He is a director that not many people have heard of, and yet has made a lot of highly successful films.
Zemeckis is also a director that does like to go ambitious at times. The prime example is being a pioneer for performance-capture technology in films such as The Polar Express, Beowulf and A Christmas Carol.
As soon as I heard Zemeckis was directing this, that was enough for me. Having Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard as the leads was a real bonus. I am big fan of both and I was confident going into the screening, that these two would not fail.
It may not feel one of Zemeckis' best. I still felt entertained with a well told and executed story.
I noticed that the general look and even structure of it felt like it belonged in the 1940's where everything looks glamorous. Some may see this as looking a bit awkward, I thought it was refreshing enough to give it mild plaudits.
Even from the way the dialogue is said, to how the characters behave, it was a nice change to see something that is done simply and that can also be seen as an homage to that film-making era.
I avoided the trailers as I was already wanting to see the film. So after seeing them, I noticed that they seemed to have marketed in wrong. It seems to make the audience expect a spy thriller. While it does have that as a big element of the film. The main story I got from watching was a romance one.
Pitt and Cotillard were great together. Their characters chemistry was strong, felt real and the main reason why I had fun with this movie. Pitt individually was satisfactory. But Cotillard was great. I seem to like anything she is in, and she always seems to bring out her a-game in everything.
There were no supporting roles that were worth mentioning. But one actor that was a really nice surprise to see was August Diehl. He plays a terrifying Nazi officer in Inglorious Basterds, and it's almost more of the same in this one. That was a real highlight for me.
Other things I liked was the 1940's setting. If you have seen this and the classic Casablanca, then you'll know exactly what I mean.
If it had any chance of awards success, then I think its costume design would be its front-runner. Also, the visual effects is always an interesting part of any Zemeckis film as he has been very experimental and ground-breaking at times. I thought some of the visual effects were pretty good and consistent.
The only major negative is that, while it is good, it's just not memorable enough. Having an old-fashioned feel to it could be its downfall with many demographics. When it comes to people doing their top films of the year lists, I can see a lot of people "remind me what that film was about?".
While it is nothing spectacular, it is a nicely crafted and well executed film with a perfectly fine story and a lot of highly tense moments. Pitt and Cotillard's chemistry is integral to its strengths and as mentioned before, the old-fashioned structure worked for me, as it felt refreshing. I was certainly not bored. But I can see some not feeling they're being entertained.
I must say that I would recommend not going into this expecting another Back To The Future or Forrest Gump. If you go in with low expectations, then you will probably have a pleasant time at the pictures.
Sadly even though I did have a fairly good time with it. I honestly cannot see me watching this again. In a world where we can gain access to so many films. I cannot see me getting in a mood to spending my time on re-visiting this.
However, I am now hoping Zemeckis gives us another instant classic in the near future. It has been a while since he has created a box office success. The last one was probably Cast Away back in 2000. I think now is the time for another one.
Rating: 7/10
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