Review of Snowden (2016) by Spencer K — 01 Oct 2016

"The modern battlefield is everywhere.".

I always thought of Edward Snowden as any incredibly intriguing person and when I heard Oliver Stone a was directing a film based on him and Joseph Gordon Levitt would be playing him, I was very much on board. And I left Snowden, just feeling kind of meh about it. It had some incredible talent involved and promise going into it, but it ultimately plays it all too safe, to really be the experience I wanted it to be. Of course, I know the story and it's equally enthralling seeing it presented on the big screen, but it should have pulled me into it more. Joseph Gordon Levitt is great as Snowden. he's a fast talking, borderline almost mute, and Levitt pulls him off. Shailene Woodley was good, too I thought. the set pieces are incredible and all the technical aspects of the films work very well, but I'm just perplexed as why Stone played it so safe with the material. Also, It's pace was excruciatingly slow and it easily could have had 15-20 minutes shaved off of it. I didn't hate Snowden, but it should've been much better than it was.