Operator Part II Twin Souls

Without having seen the film this one was a sequel to, it was really tough to know what was happening. That seems to have been a real trap for Ultra teams. I also missed a bunch of the plot because of the sound mix issues (that must have been pretty gutting for the team). However, the production value was otherwise pretty good. I hope that a version with the sound fixed a bit is what ends up in the screening room :)

Honestly I had no idea what was going on for most of this. Sound was an issue, but it was also not helped by static blocking and lack of exposition. Ultra was a tough hand to be dealt this year, and kudos for taking the challenge. With a sequel you have to be very careful to make sure that it can stand alone. This felt a little more like the second episode of a serialized TV show, where a lot of prior knowledge was assumed. Despite this, I think it fit its genre well and had some decent performances.

Great to see this in the screening room with fixed audio. I remember seeing operator in the heats many years ago, and it always stood out as one of my favourite Team Spielberg films, so I was excited for the sequel. Didn't quite capture the same tension as the original, but certainly had some good moments. Putting the operator on the phone was a nice play on the word, but I would have liked to see more use of the void outside the door that made the first one so interesting. Perhaps if the void consumed the bathroom after Bobby's reveal, it would feel more dynamic and claustrophobic. As other reviewers have said, a bit more creativity in the blocking would go a long way. Certainly limiting in a hotel room, but we know you can pull it off in an elevator!

Good-looking film with some clever, simple tricks used to sell the sci-fi setting. The shot when she first opens the door is particularly well done. The performances let it down a lot. The lead woman especially lacked energy to her line deliveries - and there are a lot of lines to deliver. I saw this in the screening room with the adjusted audio and the music added a lot to the mood. Though I hadn't seen the original, the film drop enough hints as to how the world worked to give me a sense of what was going on but leaving enough mystery to keep me engaged. I felt the ending would have had more punch if it just lingered on the lead contemplating on her decision rather than have the operator spell out her options.