Review: THE WALK Is an Awe-Inspiring Journey
Director Robert Zemeckis has delivered another incredibly inspirational film with The Walk. I was really curious to see how exactly he would tell the story of Philippe Petit’s dream to make history by walking across a high-wire between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in 1974, and Zemeckis pulled it off brilliantly!
I’ve seen a few reviews for the film already who say that the first half of the film is kind of boring and uninteresting, but that the last half of the film is completely awesome. I don’t necessarily agree with those reviews. I enjoyed the film from the opening shot to the very end. Basically, it all depends on whether the audience buys into the way Zemeckis decided to tell this story.
The movie is narrated by the main character, who is played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and it's told in a fairy tale kind of way that I thought was extremely charming. The movie starts with him standing on the torch of the Statue of Liberty with New York City in the background, and he begins to tell us the story what led him to his dream of walking between the Twin Towers on a wire. I accepted this form of storytelling right off the bat, and then sat back and enjoyed the journey.
It was a bit jarring at first seeing Gordon-Levitt acting with a French accent, but that faded away pretty quickly. I could see exactly why Zemeckis wanted the actor in this role in the movie. Petit was an artist and entertainer who was very passionate and energetic about what he wanted to accomplish, and Gordon-Levitt is the exact same way, and it completely shined through in his performance. If you've watched the documentary Man on Wire, then you'll be able to see that Gordon-Levitt's portrayal of this person was spot-on. It was incredibly fun for me to see Gordon-Levitt bring this legendary artist to life.
As far as the last half of the film goes…this was the most intensity that I’ve experienced in a movie so far this year. It was awesome! I’m afraid of heights, and watching the scenes that took place on the top of the World Trade Center really freaked me the hell out! My palms were sweating profusely! There were times where I didn’t want to look at the screen because of how it made me feel, but I had to keep telling myself that it was just a movie. It was breathtakingly beautiful and crazy, and I loved every minute of it!
To get the full effect of this movie, you have to watch it in IMAX 3D. There’s no point in watching it unless you see it in IMAX 3D. It was made for this format, and seeing it any other way will not give you the same effect. The way the film is shot, you actually can feel the danger of it all; you can feel the beauty and magnificence of it.
You’ve gotta watch The Walk! It’s truly an awe-inspiring story that needs to be experienced, and I believe Zemeckis was the perfect director to bring it to life, and Gordon-Levitt was the perfect actor to take on the role of the legend.