Spectral: The Ultimate Breakthrough in Military Science

SPECTRAL

DIRECTED BY: Nic Mathieu

STARRING: James Badge Dale, Max Martini, Emily Mortimer, Bruce Greenwood

GENRE: Military, Science Fiction

YEAR: 2016

COUNTRY: United States

Civil Unrest in the European country of Moldova has US forces engaging the insurgents however there is a new threat who has decided both are their enemy. This new threat resides in an alternative spectrum that makes them invisible to the naked eye and instant death to anyone confronting them. Locals believe they are Spirits of War but others believe they are superior arms technology fabricated by the Moldova government.

After a severe drop from Universal, many thought that Spectral would never reach the light of day. However, Netflix picked up the rights and rushed it to market as soon as they could. With a first time director behind the helm, We had high hopes that Spectral would be much more than we thought it would eventually be. The film takes most of the common tropes from war and action films, even drawing inspiration from video games like Gears of War.  Without spoiling anything too much, the premise and use of Moldovan  folklore is actually intriguing to say the least. As for the actual action sequences, Spectral does set the tone of the “Fog of War” pretty quickly.

Since Spectral had been sitting in our queue for a while now, I was hesitant to watch it. Just like I had predicted, the acting was nothing spectacular or great. Beside the three main characters, most of the characters and cast is forgettable at best. If you are also expecting a rather clear and concise explanation to what the “Hyperspectrals” are, don’t be surprised when you don’t understand. Unless you know some basis on Einstein and other scientific theories, then you may be quite lost on some of the technology used.

PROS:

• Interesting lore.
• Interesting premise.
• Ridiculous action scenes.

CONS:

• Poor acting.
• Overly scientific plot holes.
• Main character is a scientific god.

SCORE: 6.5 / 10

If you have any suggestions for films/TV/Games/Music/Anime for me to review, drop me a comment!

Remember: Like Media In Review @ Facebook Follow Media in Review on Twitter.

All check out my lengthier video game reviews over at Nerd Bacon Games.

Brandon Stuhr

Who am I? Just some guy who decided to start writing on the Internet years ago and now operates his own brand and site. Owner/Operator of Modern Neon Media, I make all kinds of niche content to suit my interests at the time. DIY Enthusiast, Brewmaster extraordinaire, and avid freak for geek culture. Follow on my socials for a more “on” version of me.