Let's be honest.
We all assumed this movie would be another Pearl Harbor, or a less
blockbuster-y Transformers. In other words, a classic Michael Bay film. When I heard
that Bay was given the rights to direct a movie about a true American tragedy, I
was legitimately worried that he would disgrace the heroes he was portraying. He
didn’t.
Yes, there is a
stylized tracking of an RPG and yes, the explosions are epic in scale, but they
fit in seamlessly with the narrative. Unlike Pearl Harbor, the characters' individual
storylines are not only TRUE, but are the backdrop to the real events, not the
other way around. Unlike Transformers, the quips and minor comedy are used to
break tension, not as a plot device, and for the most part it works.
Another surprise
was John Krasinski. His performance as Jack Silva, a retired SEAL, contracted
with CIA was ten times better than I expected, and man did he commit! The entire
cast was great, and most of the plot points hit their mark (except for the
Joseph Campbell bit, which seemed too heavy handed for me).
I still think
Transformers 5 will suck, and so will 6,7 and 8 when he inevitably announces
that he is coming back to direct. HOWEVER, if in between those he finds time to
tackle more projects like 13 Hours, I think the film community may need to find
a new butt for their jokes.
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