The Walk (2015)

In my opinion, this is one of the best films of the year. Joseph Gordon-Levitt was excellent. I'm actually kicking myself for not seeing it in 3D—it still hit home even in 2D, though.

Glad someone started this thread.

Watched it yesterday and was honestly blown away. It was totally unexpected.

Full disclosure: I didn't know the specifics of the story and hadn't seen the documentary. But Zemeckis turned this into a total visual feast. He doesn't get too heavy or deep—maybe that's all in the documentary, the inner turmoil and stuff—but instead, he delivers a fun story packed with humor. Plus, there's a great mix of modern tech, 3D, and IMAX shots that really push the envelope.

So, the beginning is super fun. Levitt is outstanding. The storytelling and narration are clever, and the visuals are really interesting. The whole thing flows smoothly right up until the wire walk.

That’s when the tension hits. Especially during the prep work. You don't realize how much goes into an undertaking like this. You think, "Oh, he just laid a wire and walked." Then you watch a movie based on a true story and see how much could have gone wrong. That creates constant tension even before he steps out.

And once he's on the wire... Man! I could barely watch, and I'm not even afraid of heights. I've climbed the Burj Khalifa, been up the Pearl in Shanghai (they have that transparent walkway where you can see people hanging off ropes cleaning windows at the very top), the Willis Tower in Chicago (with that glass ledge over the city), the Shard, Sydney Tower, the Eiffel Tower, rode that massive ferris wheel at Prater, went on the Blue Tornado a bunch of times, and did the Vegas rides. I love an adrenaline rush; if I can climb it, I will. But this was indescribable. Every single movement had me stressed, even knowing he made it.

You definitely need to see this in 3D IMAX if you can. If a movie is meant for that format, this is it.

It was so good that I could ignore the small flaws, like some silly emphasis on certain parts, minor pacing issues, or a few clichés. The story alone is worth it because what he pulled off seems impossible. Life writes the wildest scripts sometimes. My companion kept saying, "No way he crossed that wire that many times." Then I get home, look it up, and find out he actually walked it more than what they showed in the movie: eight freaking times! Seriously!

Major props to him. It shows what a person can do with real grit. It's an inspiring story and I highly recommend it. You'll have a blast (though those with weak stomachs might be a bit terrified).

Now I definitely need to go watch the documentary.

Glad someone finally started this thread. I’ve been wanting to jump in for a while, but I had no clue how to do it! I saw it just last week and I'm still reeling from the experience. Seriously one of the best movies I've ever seen in a theater. I guess the reason it hit me so hard was because my expectations were pretty low after watching the trailers. Also, unlike Edward Price6, I am deathly afraid of heights. So, you can imagine how many times I nearly lost control of my bladder during certain scenes.👍

Lisa Ross65 said:In my opinion, this is one of the best films of the year. Joseph Gordon-Levitt was excellent. I'm actually kicking myself for not seeing it in 3D—it still hit home even in 2D, though.

I’m not a big 3D fan, but this was genuinely great to watch. At times, I felt like they were just selling me the logistics of the planning and execution, along with everything he did on the wire—I watched the Man on Wire documentary a long time ago and had forgotten the specifics, so this brought it all back. I actually went back and watched the documentary again after the movie to catch the interviews with Petit, and the story really is incredible. The man essentially "danced" on a wire for 45 minutes with a grin on his face.

A few years back, I happened to stumble upon this documentary while flipping through the channels on an American network, and it completely hooked me. The documentary was absolutely phenomenal. If I recall correctly, it even picked up an Oscar.

Austin Rodriguez5 said:A few years back, I happened to stumble upon this documentary while flipping through the channels on an American network, and it completely hooked me. The documentary was absolutely phenomenal. If I recall correctly, it even picked up an Oscar.

Yeah, "Man on Wire" took home the Oscar for Best Documentary back in 2009.

A seriously solid film
Caught it the other day
Pleasantly surprised, I have to say

I’m terrified of heights, so honestly, I just wanted to get back to solid ground as fast as possible 🤣
It was a pleasant movie. A sort of tribute to skyscrapers, human willpower, and sheer capability... if you know what I mean.

Aside from "Mad Max: Fury Road," nothing I've seen this year has hit quite as hard as "The Walk." There is an anthology-style sequence where the brilliant Joseph Gordon-Levitt traverses a wire between the "Twins" while the classical compositions of Ludwig van Beethoven swell in the background; it’s a moment that defies description and leaves you genuinely awestruck. Zemeckis has this way of demanding your absolute focus, pulling you into the tension. As Petit nears the end of his daring feat, that initial physical dread melts away into a massive, ear-to-ear grin—a sense of pride and satisfaction so deep it feels as though you were standing there witnessing one of the greatest artistic achievements in history firsthand.

RATING: 10/10

More info at the link 🙂

LINK

Since the Man on Wire documentary was already shot with such a cinematic feel—and honestly, it was brilliant—watching The Walk felt almost redundant to me. But, seeing how much everyone seems to be raving about it, I guess I’ll have to give it a shot myself.

I’d honestly just go with the documentary. Don't get me wrong, the cinematography here is solid—even if it feels a bit too "Hollywood polished" for my taste—but the subject matter just doesn't feel right for a big-budget feature film. To me, the documentary hits way harder because you actually get to meet the real-life legend who pulled off the impossible. It's much more impactful. But hey, if you're already committed to hitting the theater, grab the 3D version just for the sheer spectacle of it.

If you've already seen the documentary, I've got another one for you to check out... 😉

Samuel Ortiz3 said:I’d honestly just go with the documentary. Don't get me wrong, the cinematography here is solid—even if it feels a bit too "Hollywood polished" for my taste—but the subject matter just doesn't feel right for a big-budget feature film. To me, the documentary hits way harder because you actually get to meet the real-life legend who pulled off the impossible. It's much more impactful. But hey, if you're already committed to hitting the theater, grab the 3D version just for the sheer spectacle of it.

If you've already seen the documentary, I've got another one for you to check out...

😉

My advice is to watch the feature first, then the documentary. Honestly, that documentary you mentioned isn't nearly as fascinating as those other films about tightrope walking.☕

Honestly, the only thing worth watching in this flick is the 3D. I felt like I was stuck watching a cartoon the whole time... the characters are just caricatures of themselves. Plus, the tone is all over the place—never quite landing on one note. It’s just too flippant.

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Lisa Ross14 said:Honestly, the only thing worth watching in this flick is the 3D. I felt like I was stuck watching a cartoon the whole time... the characters are just caricatures of themselves. Plus, the tone is all over the place—never quite landing on one note. It’s just too flippant.

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Also, you really need to see this in IMAX 3D. Even people who weren't feeling the movie at all were saying how incredible the visuals looked.🍿

I checked it out. Honestly, I'm with you there... the 3D actually works—it’s used effectively instead of just being a gimmick.

Hands down, the best movie we've seen all year.

Absolutely stunning, just a fantastic movie. It’s such a shame the box office numbers were so pathetic 😢
https://m.reddit.com/r/movies/commen...op_this_badly/
It deserved way more than what it got 😢

Samuel Ortiz3 said:I’d honestly just go with the documentary. Don't get me wrong, the cinematography here is solid—even if it feels a bit too "Hollywood polished" for my taste—but the subject matter just doesn't feel right for a big-budget feature film. To me, the documentary hits way harder because you actually get to meet the real-life legend who pulled off the impossible. It's much more impactful. But hey, if you're already committed to hitting the theater, grab the 3D version just for the sheer spectacle of it.

If you've already seen the documentary, I've got another one for you to check out...

😉

I couldn't agree more. This story just isn't built to be a mainstream Hollywood blockbuster. For starters, I think about 90% of the audience already knew he actually performed the stunt and survived, so there wasn't really any genuine tension to be found, no matter how hard the director tried to manufacture it. The tightrope walking sequences were decent enough, but as you mentioned, it felt a little too "Hollywood glossed over"—there was just too much CGI for my liking, which didn't really blow me away. Personally, I found the scale and those high-altitude scenes in Mount Everest much more immersive...
On the other hand, since I don't believe this should have been a feature film at all—but rather a documentary—I think everyone involved did an excellent job squeezing everything they could out of the story. Ultimately, I can't find any major flaws with the production itself; it just isn't a masterpiece for me. It's not something I'd call Movie of the Year or give a perfect 10/10. So, yeah, it earns a solid seven from me...

Since we're focusing on the film itself, I won't go off on a tangent about the act of tightrope walking or the ethics of risking one's life just for someone else's entertainment, even if people find it fascinating and worthy of admiration. That's all very interesting, but I wouldn't really 😁

He isn't exactly risking his life just to entertain the masses.