Movie Reviews for Wicked Spring

Wicked Spring

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Movie Reviews of Wicked Spring

Movie Review: Not As Awful As Some Say
Summary: 3 Stars

Before I saw this movie, I asked four personal friends of mine who are extreme Civil War buffs what they thought of it. Three thought it was the worst movie ever made, and one thought is was pretty good. The one who liked it offered to bring it over - which he did - and we watched it together.
The first fifteen minutes or so shows mainly the two main characters - one from the north, and one from the south - with their sweetheart and wife. Life before the war.
The second part shows them three years down the road, the war in full force, and our characters are fighting in the Battle of the Wilderness. This depiction of the battle was excellent. I would put it against any major motion picture Civil War battle for authenticity, it's that good. Very realistic in the sounds department - lots of screaming wounded and yelling about. Truly authentic.
The third part of the movie shows our two heroes, as well as a couple of their comrades, lost and, through a series of circumstances, enjoying each other's company under the darkness of night, neither side fully realizing they are in the company of the enemy.
Is this story line far-fetched? Probably, but not impossible. If you pay attention to the dialogue (especially as the letters are read), you will figure out that the Yank puts two and two together and knows who his new friends are.
Not a bad concept, more like a what if? rather than historically accurate.
Speaking of accuracy, the clothing - military and civilian - are as perfect as I have seen on film. Kudos is deserved for that alone!
As for the acting, well, it's OK for the most part, but there are a couple of scenes where the acting is abysmal at best, especially in a particular scene during the battle where the messenger is speaking to the general. Simply awful. Thank God there are only a couple lines.
The rest of the cast does a fairly decent job.
So, to sum it up: 5 stars for accuracy and authenticity, 5 stars for the battle, 3 stars for the majority of the actor's quality, 1 star for the messenger and general's acting ability (or lack thereof), 3 stars for the story, and 3 stars for the script. I figure my total to be a 3 or maybe a 3.5 score - not too bad when you think about it. Let's put it this way - after watching it, I ordered myself a copy. So, although it's not great, it's not the pits either.
As a whole, it's not bad at all. I agree with the one friend who liked it over the three that did not.

Movie Review: Positive/Negative
Summary: 3 Stars

Positive
Battle scenes are excellent. A lot of work went into creating the battle scenes in this indie movie. Many types of emotions are depicted (bravery, confusion, empathy, sadness, cowardice, leadership, fear, pain). Battle sound effects were impressive.
Period clothing and equipment
Focus on ordinary soldiers, not generals
Confusion of battle
Negative
Low budget look and feel. Pharaoh's Army was completed on a budget of $500,000. Wicked Spring has a much more amateur-ish look.
Improbable plot that the soldiers didn't know they were in different armies. In "A Midnight Clear", the Germans want to surrender and the Americans want to help them, but things go wrong. A different plot could have been the Union soldiers want the Rebels to help them get the wounded soldier back to a surgeon.
Acting is weak.

Movie Review: Some Good...Some Bad
Summary: 3 Stars

I liked the opening scenes, even though they were a bit cliche. At the very least you saw what each character was leaving. The battle scenes were quite real and well done in my opinion. I hated the ending. Someone else noted the lack of a Hollywood ending, but I would have preferred it. (SPOILER WARNING) I got very emotionally invested in the two main guys and was devastated when I saw they both died. I realize they're going for realism, but they need to remember its a movie that's meant to entertain. I was very into the sequence of the letter reading/writing. For it all to come crashing down in the end and that's the way the movie ends? Very poor...didn't like it at all.

Movie Review: Pharaoh's Army
Summary: 3 Stars

I had seen part of this movie on digital TV but had missed most of the beginning so I wanted to see it all. I found it a little slow in the beginning and there was not enough historical content for me. However both my wife and I enjoyed.