The Walk

Movie Review Written By: Adolph Vega

 3D

Depth based 3D is typically not the major selling point in 3D movies. Most of the time people expect pop out 3D and depth is often over looked. The depth-based 3D shown in this movie makes for an impressive and immersive experience. “The Walk” does use pop out 3D in several scenes but I didn’t find those 3D scenes to be sharp as vivid as they could have been. When the characters talk amongst each other the 3D isn’t an issue but when you begin the high wire act scenes, the 3D depth looks great. If you are fearful of heights this movie will stress you out, because the depth does a fantastic job of giving the viewer a sense of scale and distance. I seriously got nervous as I watched this movie because of the sense of vertigo is real. A few 3D scenes are presented in the dark and ghosting occurs that distracts the viewer and breaks the overall impressive 3D visuals. This ghosting issue makes a double image when 3D with contrasting colors gives a double image; this happens in low light and dark 3D scenes and is unfortunate distraction. Overall I felt 3D depth is used to a fantastic degree and is probably my favorite use of depth based 3D that I have ever seen. I wish some of the 3D pop scenes were better executed and the dark scenes were better corrected to prevent ghosting but overall I very much enjoyed this 3D experience and consider it a must watch in 3D.

Final Verdict: Great 3D

Movie

Walking on high wires has never been an artistic performance that has interested me before this movie. In “The Walk” Joseph Gordon-Levitt portrays Phillippe Petit who is a French artist and a high wire walker. Phillippe wants to do the high wire walk act on the newly built twin towers in New York City. The movie revolves around Phillippe and you get a fantastic understanding of his character. The cast slowly enlarges and gives you enough time to get to know each of the new characters. I really enjoyed the supporting cast members and how they assist Phillippe in this journey to do a high wire walk in between the two towers. The movie becomes almost a heist movie as they plan to make the walk in between the twin towers. The performance of Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Phillip Petit is truly inspired and is an excellent showcase of the acting talent of Mr. Levitt. I honestly believe that he deserves an Oscar nomination for Best Actor for this incredible performance. The French accent sounds strange at first but he is totally transformed into this character on screen and creates a joyful character with excellent range. Phillip is very likable and you truly believe that he is walking on the high wires and that the actor can do everything the showman originally did. This character of Phillippe is omnipresent and narrates and guides you through his story. I found this movie very charming, funny and simply a joy to watch. The story telling is engaging, smooth and the feels tight and well executed. I was never bored by a single second of this movie and found the entire movie fun and fascinating. The visual design is incredible and perfectly compliments the narrative with many perfectly executed camera angles and excellent framing of the scenes. Only one aspect of this movie I felt was strange and that was the usage of the twin towers. Obviously watching this movie in 2015 we know the towers no longer exist because of the horrific terrorist attacks of September 11th 2001. This is the big elephant in the room and can cause a distraction to the audience. The film never touches on this aspect because it's set in the past and it’s not necessary to tell this story but it's something the audiences will know and can take you out of the movie. If you have the ability to watch this movie in IMAX larger screen format I suggest you do so, because the visuals of this movie work best on the biggest screen you can find. After I left the theater my face was grinning from pure joy and satisfaction. The Walk is a delightful movie and I enjoyed every aspect of this movie, the acting, the story, and the characters all work beautifully to make a truly wonderful film. The Walk is my favorite movie released in 2015 and is something I cannot recommend any higher. This is filmmaking at its best and deserves my Editor's Choice Award for Best Film.

Final Verdict: 10/10

© 2015 SONY PICTURES DIGITAL PRODUCTIONS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED