AVS Discussions
Movie and TV Discussion => Movie reviews => Topic started by: David Vaughn on June 22, 2024, 08:01:39 PM
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(https://i.imgur.com/uEeBBUb.jpeg)
Studio: Lionsgate
Release Date: June 25, 2024
Rating: R
Film: 3/5
Plot
Based upon recently declassified files of the British War Department and inspired by true events. It tells the story of the first-ever special forces organization formed during WWII by UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill and a small group of military officials including author Ian Fleming. The top-secret combat unit, composed of a motley crew of rogues and mavericks, goes on a daring mission against the Nazis using entirely unconventional and utterly "ungentlemanly" fighting techniques. Ultimately their audacious approach changed the course of the war and laid the foundation for the British SAS and modern Black Ops warfare.
My Thoughts
I generally like Guy Ritchie films and in this case he both directed and co-wrote the story. The film is very loosely based on the true story of the British Army’s Small Scale Raiding Forse (SSRF), which was founded by the real Major Guys march-Phillips (portrayed by Henry Cavill). The operation depicted in the film, Postmaster, was their first of many during WWII although the films retelling of the mission the Damien Lewis book of the same title is heavily fictionalized.
Ritchie’s film always have a certain dramatic flair and arty component to them, and that’s the case here. Unfortunately, this style doesn’t necessarily fit the subject matter. For most of the film I felt like I was watching something more akin to Inglorious Basterds than Saving Private Ryan. Personally, I feel the subject matter could have been portrayed more seriously for greater dramatic effect versus the video game aspect of what I witnessed. Our heroes never feel like they are in danger despite the seemingly insurmountable odds they face. Fortunately, the Nazi’s shoot like a bunch of Stormtroopers while the heroes hit every target they barely aim at.
While the overall film falls into the middling category, the presentation is top shelf. Principal photography was captured on 8K digital cameras and finished with a 4K DI and this is readily apparent from the first scene. Detail is off the charts and the HDR color grading is about as good as it gets. Close-ups are teeming with detail and you can see every intricate detail of the actors, which is especially pleasing when Eiza Gonzalez is gracing the scene. Just wait until you see her in her green dress and I’ll never hear “Mack the Knife” and not think of her at the same time ever again.
The Atmos track doesn’t quite match the video presentation, but it certainly has its moments. Discrete effects move throughout the room and make decent use of the overhead speakers and the action scenes are definitely demo-worthy. And yes, the LFE channel gets quite a robust workout with plenty of gunfire and room-shaking explosions.
Video 10/10
Audio 9.5/10 (Dolby Atmos)
Special Features:
- The Ministry of Filmmaking Featurette
- Theatrical Trailer
- UHD + Blu-ray + Digital Copy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvwDen1Wrx8&ab (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvwDen1Wrx8&ab)
Conclusion
I don’t consider this one of Ritchie’s better films due to him missing the mark on telling a serious story about one of the more compelling missions in WWII. Maybe my expectations were off when sitting down to watch it and I’ll enjoy it better the second time through at some point in the future. If one treats the film as a work of fiction versus something based on a true story, maybe they’ll enjoy it more since there’s certainly a lot more fiction versus fact. Thankfully, the presentation is off the charts which makes it very easy to recommend for action junkies.
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS3100 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Portrait Displays CalMAN color calibration software & C6-HDR Meter from Portrait Displays)
Stewart Filmscreen - Firehawk 110” 2.35:1 Screen
Trinnov Altitude 16 Audio/Video Processor
ATI AT527NC Powering Bed Channels
ATI AT524NC Powering Atmos Speakers
Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
System Controller: URC MX-990
M&K S-150 THX Ultra (R-C-L Speakers)
M&K SS-150 x4 (Surround Speakers)
Atlantic Technology IC6-OBA x 4 Overhead Speakers
Dual Rythmik FV15HP2
Mini DSP HD controlling all subwoofers
Audioquest and Monoprice - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
PureAV PF60 Power Conditioner
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This is certainly on my list to pick up as soon as the price drops. Ritchie just made a somewhat serious war movie in The Covenant, so maybe he wanted this film to be a little more fun? Who knows. I'll chime back in after I've seen it.
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I felt much the same, David. I was really looking forward to this one and saw it in the theater. It was entertaining but felt like Guy Ritchie's superhero movie. The breezy near invulnerability of the protagonist crew really blunted the tension.
I hadn't read about the real op beforehand but did so afterwards and this feels like a big missed opportunity to make a better movie about an actual and important event from WWII.
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I felt much the same, David. I was really looking forward to this one and saw it in the theater. It was entertaining but felt like Guy Ritchie's superhero movie. The breezy near invulnerability of the protagonist crew really blunted the tension.
I hadn't read about the real op beforehand but did so afterwards and this feels like a big missed opportunity to make a better movie about an actual and important event from WWII.
Couldn't agree more. If they avoided the words "Based on a true story" at the beginning, I would have probably enjoyed it a lot more.
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I've got this on our library rental list. I guess it's time to drop down the expectation level; thought it would be one of the better movies of the year. :-\
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I've got this on our library rental list. I guess it's time to drop down the expectation level; thought it would be one of the better movies of the year. :-\
Scott,
I'm curious to see what you think of it with lower expectations. Definitely report back!
David
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Watched this with my son a couple weeks ago. Liked it.
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Finally got the server and theater rebuilt and running! Watched Thai last night
Loved it! Not a guy Ritchie movie I don’t enjoy.
Atmos was outstanding when they are on the fishing boat. Woah sounded like my whole room was creaking lol.
Thanks for the review!
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Finally got the server and theater rebuilt and running! Watched Thai last night
Loved it! Not a guy Ritchie movie I don’t enjoy.
Atmos was outstanding when they are on the fishing boat. Woah sounded like my whole room was creaking lol.
Thanks for the review!
Walmart lost my copy in transit, but then Amazon dropped the price, so I might finally get my 4K Blu-ray next week.
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Walmart lost my copy in transit, but then Amazon dropped the price, so I might finally get my 4K Blu-ray next week.
Nice. I enjoyed it
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Nice. I enjoyed it
We just watched " Guy Ritchie's The Covenant " and my wife absolutely loved it, as did my guests. Been enjoying his films since " The Gentleman ".
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We just watched " Guy Ritchie's The Covenant " and my wife absolutely loved it, as did my guests. Been enjoying his films since " The Gentleman ".
Wait what? That's from 2019. Have you seen any of his older work like Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels, or Snatch? Those are SO MUCH FUN.
The Covenant was very very good, so we agree on that one!
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Wait what? That's from 2019. Have you seen any of his older work like Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels, or Snatch? Those are SO MUCH FUN.
The Covenant was very very good, so we agree on that one!
Guy Ritchie's the Covenant / Release date Apr 21, 2023, Not 2019!
I'd seen it once but my wife and friends hadn't. I didn't much care for Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels, but I do like Snatch and finally bought it on 4K Blu-ray.
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Sorry, didn't reply to that clearly. You said you'd been watching Ritchie's movies since "The Gentlemen", which is from 2019. I was just a bit surprised at putting at that since there's 20 years of prior history.
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I haven’t seen lock stock. I’ll have to pick it up!
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My wife and I watched this over the weekend, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. I'll attribute part of that to the warnings from David and Paul that the movie may have been based on a true story, but not based in reality. It helped a lot knowing that, so I could just watch it with having fun in mind.
I had not mentioned that beforehand to my wife, and she was really disappointed that it wasn't treated more seriously.
The action scenes felt like a video game where you just need to point a gun in the general direction of various bad guys, and they instantly go down.
The thought I had, especially with the purposeful inclusion and mention of Ian Flemming in the movie, was that this was Ritchie's grand audition to take the helm of the James Bond franchise. I think he could do a pretty good job with the character and not have to worry about sticking to history.
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Glad I helped you enjoy it, Scott. ::)
You may have a pretty good point about Ritchie faring well with a Bond movie. That could be a better option than where some fear they'll go, too.
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Knowing in advance to not take this movie too seriously, my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed it - a very entertaining and fun movie!
Picture quality was stellar, as pointed out in the initial review, and I thought the sound track was as well - very expansive sound-stage, crisp and detailed imaging, music and instruments were crystal clear. Will definitely watch it again.
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Knowing in advance to not take this movie too seriously, my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed it - a very entertaining and fun movie!
Picture quality was stellar, as pointed out in the initial review, and I thought the sound track was as well - very expansive sound-stage, crisp and detailed imaging, music and instruments were crystal clear. Will definitely watch it again.
I'll watch it again at some point with different expectations and will probably enjoy it a lot more on a second viewing. I'm glad you and your wife enjoyed it!
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I'm looking forward to watching this. I'm just nowhere near my home theater this week.
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I’m actually looking forward to watching it again myself :)
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I'm definitely going to rewatch it with the wife, as she hasn't seen it yet. There's a lot of fun stuff, just wasn't as good as it could have been.
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Finally got a chance to watch this last night. My wife absolutely loved it! As did 4 other friends. As for expectations, when I rip a movie to my Zappiti NAS, it shows what the genre is. This film was labeled " War, Action, Comedy ". Also, before the movie even started, listening to the movie theme music immediately brought Tarantino's " Inglorious Bastards " to mind, as did the titles during the movie ( and even the style of the subtitles ). Anyway, it is a fun fictionalized account of Operation Postmaster.
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Watched this again tonight with my wife ( her 2nd viewing ) and 6 friends that had never seen it. They flat out loved it. The room burst into laughter more than once at some of the great one liners. And I must say, this movie flat out looks spectacular in 4K in my theater, which a guest definitely mentioned. A crowd pleaser for sure.
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Yup. Now I have to rewatch it :)
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I'll be rewatching as well with different expectations. It does look fabulous in 4K though...no doubt.
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I'll be rewatching as well with different expectations. It does look fabulous in 4K though...no doubt.
Think " Inglorious Bastards " version of true story and you'll like it more.