Good overall, with distractions

Rating: 8/10 (31 May 2013)

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, but found some of the filming techniques distracting and think they took away from the enjoyment. LENS FLARES! Get rid of them... they are NOT enjoyable and detract from the overall look of an otherwise good movie. Buy a STEADYCAM if you want to do the hand-held look. Better yet a tripod or a dolly. Save the shaky shots for the occasional extreme action scenes. Many filmmakers now seem to think that distorting the color or shaking the crap out of the camera adds to the experience... It doesn't! The lens flares are a sign of Bad photography and lighting, not and enhancement. I would have rated this film 9.5 out of 10 had they not spoiled it with these "enhancements". J.J. Abrams is a fantastic filmmaker but he has lost his way in the photography department in my opinion. It sounds as if I didn't like the movie, but truth be told, I did. I just think they are overdoing this "Documentary" Style of filming. I just watched The Last Stand and found the camera work to be excellent in it, nice steady shots, slow sweeping pans and zooms, and shaky camera only in a very few shots, (but they distorted the color) Much more enjoyable.