Miscellaneous Movie Musings

[Alex]

Originally Posted by Stan4dSteph

I was thinking I should go see this in the theater just because of the visuals. That's what the original series was all about.

So would you recommend seeing it in the theater?

It is hard to say for sure. His use of digital gives the night time scenes a visual grittiness that is also visceral. I don't know how this translates to TV since I haven't ever watched my Collateral DVD.

The movie itself is fond of very abrupt transitions. One thing Mann does several times is cut immediately from dark nighttime scene to bright daytime scenes. It creates a physical reaction that I think he wanted. Similarly in terms of the action he goes from extremely moody and contemplative to extremely violent and intense. The former makes up the bulk of the film and maybe doesn't have the right balance.

It is nothing like the TV show (or, at least, nothing like I remember of the TV show which I haven't watched since it was originally on TV and then not often). Other than being in Miami and having characters named Crockett, Tubbs, and Castillo, it is more like Bad Boys (though much more thoughtfully made).

I guess I'd lean towards seeing in the theater but you might want to consider a matinee to save a few bucks. And make sure you pick the best theater possible, insufficient lighting at the projector would ruin the visual impact.