
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. differs from the crowd of other spy films this year (Kingsman, Spy, Mission:Impossible - Rogue Nation, and the upcoming Spectre) by landing somewhere in the middle of humor and dramatic action, but also because it occurs during the 60s. Given that pretty much every spy-related film this year has been nothing short of great (we'll just pretend that Mortdecai doesn't count), I've had high hopes for UNCLE, especially because recent trailers were far superior to the earlier ones.
Directed by Guy Ritchie, the film was most likely always going to be style more so than substance, and that's the case with his venture into the decades old TV show. Many critics and movie theater patrons aren't fond of the "style > substance" type of films, and I'd agree that they have a valid argument. Personally, I don't mind a film with some hollow pizzazz if I know that's going to be the case going in.
UNCLE fits this bill perfectly and while many other critics were left wanting more, I found yet another 2015 spy film that I enjoyed immensely. Go ahead and chalk this one up to my "guilty pleasures" list for the year.
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I see the robot from Ex Machina is doing well for herself... |
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"I hope that's a flashlight in your pocket." |
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If all villains looked this good I'm not sure I'd mind being a POW |
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The film sports some awesome locales as well! |
I think that UNCLE is a somewhat divisive film. I understand that a lot of people want a rich experience every time they step in the the theater. In that sense, this film is not for you. Truth be told, it's all fluff and doesn't present much that you haven't seen before. Thanks to a winning cast of characters and stars, not to mention a great dose of stylish 60s flair, I was having too much fun to even care.
CONS:
- Simple, rather unoriginal plot
- Forgettable villain
- Not much substance
- Poor CGI in a few areas
- The cast is really strong and I would love to see this group of characters in another adventure
- Cavill and Hammer have some good, brotherly chemistry
- Alicia Vikander. Is gorgeous. Also, her character is pretty awesome
- Great capturing of 60s era style. Fashion, vehicles, political atmosphere, etc.
- Guy Ritchie's style is evident throughout the film and he was a solid choice for director. The action is fun and filmed well, the script likes to play around, and it looks good most of the time
- Stellar music choice. Both the original score and soundtrack are well crafted and fit to each scene. This is an example of a film made entirely better because of the music that accompanies it
- A lot of fun
Rath's Review Score: 8/10
I was left wanting. You're right that it's stylish and looks great but the leads were rather dull, the girls wasted, the humour less than sparkling and the action (apart from the great East Berlin chase) average. Passable but not in the league of Bond or M:I or even X-Men First Class. My review is in the usual place...
ReplyDeletePS: are you on Twitter? And if so, what's your tag? I'm @gypsyking007
DeleteI hear that argument and don't necessarily disagree. I think this is one that either some people loved or were left feeling the way you were.
DeleteI'm not on Twitter unfortunately. Never made the jump!
Think we both enjoyed this for what it was. It's never anything deep or moving but just a lot of fun.
ReplyDeleteAgreed! "Fun fluff" as I would call it.
DeleteClassic 60s style sounds like something I would enjoy the heck out of. I am looking forward to seeing this some way or another. I was a little worried that it would suck though since several movies this year have dropped the ball.
ReplyDelete-James
This one surely doesn't suck. 60s style was very fun and Ritchie's style of filming along with the awesome soundtrack made for a fun, if not hollow, time.
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