The Walk

MPAA Rating: PG for thematic elements involving perilous situations, and for some nudity, language, brief drug references and smoking
Run Time: 123 Minutes
My Rating: 3.5/5
So today my daughter and I saw Sony Pictures and TriStar Pictures' The Walk starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Inception), Charlotte Le Bon (The Hundred-Foot Journey), and Ben Kingsley (Exodus: Gods and Kings).  It tells the incredible true story of Philippe Petit, the only man who dared to walk the immense void between the World Trade Center towers.  It shows how he was able to complete this amazing feat and how he brought life to the World Trade Center.
So I thought that this film was good, but not great.  This film has all the right aspects to make it great, but unfortunately it falls short in a lot of ways.  One thing that this film does right is the acting. Joseph Gordon-Levitt does a great job, even though I might have been a little annoyed at first by his accent.  However, he brings his usual charm to the role and within minutes the audience has already fallen in love with him. You want him to accomplish his dream and it is because of the great acting by Gordon-Levitt.  Also, the cinematography is absolutely spectacular.  The camera angles and the camera movement definitely make this film great.  If it weren't for this, The Walk would be nothing. With that being said, you should know that if you are afraid of heights or get queasy at certain heights, this is not the film for you.  The cinematography is so good that it makes you feel like you are actually on top of the World Trade Center towers.  In fact there were some people in my theater that had to look away during the movie because it was so realistic.  I personally thought this added an extra-value element to the film, but I wanted to warn you before you saw this film.  Finally, it provides a great tribute to the World Trade Center towers.  I wasn't expecting this, but it was a nice element to the film that helped bring it life.
Though it had its great moments, the film's major flaw is in its story.  Don't get me wrong, it is an incredible story of an incredible feat accomplished by Philippe Petit, but the only thing worth watching is the feat actually happening.  All the build-up and backstory to the big event, is kind of boring.  In all reality if the film consisted of only its last 35-40 minutes then it would have been a fantastic film.  However, the backstory just drags on and it really doesn't bring any excitement to the audience.
Overall, I thought the film was good, but I wished that it would have been better.  This film had a lot of potential, but unfortunately it fell short.  With that being said, I would recommend this film just for the cinematography experience.  Honestly this is some of the best camera work I have seen in a long time and for that reason it deserves to be seen and praised.  It may not be the best film, but it is well-made and a great cinematic achievement.

Thanks again for reading!!  If you have any questions, comments, or ideas just let me know!!