Movie Review: Act of Valor

Going into the screening for Act of Valor I knew very little. I knew the film starred real Navy Seals but it was not a documentary. Prior to the film, the directors came on the screen and gave more background. I'm not sure if this short introduction was just for the screenings or if it will be in all the showings, but it was interesting. Act of Valor began as a recruitment project for the Navy but it just took off in this direction and the military supported a full length film.

While starring real Seals doing real maneuvers, Act of Valor is about a fictional mission and was not just a theatrical performance of a past mission. The film's mission involves rescuing a kidnapped CIA agent and then following up on her intelligence to prevent a major attack on United States' people by terrorists.

The stunts were amazing and if the director's speech hadn't talked about the difficulties of filming on an active submarine, I would have assumed the scene was done with CGI. It was just too amazing to be real. They also really built up the intensity of some attack scenes using sound, or lack of sound I should say. As the seals moved in, there was no music or talking. All you could hear were the crickets chirping as the seals used hand signals to communicate.

There were times during the film when I wasn't really sure what to think. I left the movie thinking it was great but at a few points I was checking my watch. The overall film really set the emotions on a journey. The acting was lacking, but since these are soldiers and not actors, you really can't fault them for it.

Act of Valor will be released nation wide on February 24, 2012. Check out your local theater's Facebook page to see if they have any current promotions for popcorn or tickets.

Movie Rating for Act of Valor

The passes for this pre-screening were won through Gofobo. Follow their Facebook page to attend free screenings near you. Check out my information post for more information about free movie screenings.