Spectral wants to be a horror movie about soldiers fighting unseen enemies. It mostly succeeds, but the unseen enemy is not scary enough to justify the setup. This 2016 Netflix release, directed by Nic Mathieu from a script he co-wrote with Ian Fried and George Nolfi, follows DARPA engineer Mark Clyne as he investigates a strange phenomenon in Moldova. What starts as a plausible military thriller slowly drifts into a film that leans on spectacle over substance.
Trailer, via Netflix.
The Invisible Enemy
Clyne, played by James Badge Dale, is sent to Chișinău to look into the death of Delta Force operator Chris Davis. The entities are described as impervious to gunfire and explosives, and they kill almost instantly. The problem is that the film never fully commits to making them terrifying. They’re more like a nuisance than a genuine threat.
The best sequence involves the Utah team’s survivors hiding in an abandoned factory. The entities can’t cross the iron filings that surround it, which is a clever rule. But the film spends too much time showing the entities as shadowy figures on screen, which removes the dread of the unseen. By the time the final act arrives, you’re not scared of the Aratare so much as annoyed that the film keeps cutting away to show them.
The Cast Carries It
The ensemble is solid. Max Martini plays Maj. Sessions, Emily Mortimer plays CIA Case Officer Fran Madison, and Bruce Greenwood plays General Orland. The supporting roles are filled out by Ryan Robbins as Sgt. Comstock, Jimmy Akingbola as Sgt. Steve McFadden, Brian Caspe as Outpost Tech, Clayne Crawford as Sgt. Toll, Ursula Parker as Sari, Louis Ozawa as Sargent Chen, and Miklós Bányai as Benson. The chemistry holds the film together when the plot sags.
How do you stop an enemy you can’t see coming?
That tagline captures the central tension. Unfortunately, the film spends more time explaining the technology than building on it. The hyperspectral imaging goggles are introduced early, but their actual use in combat is limited. The signal intelligence ops write the sightings off as interference, and Clyne pushes back. Fran Madison believes the entities are insurgents in active camouflage. Both theories are plausible, and the film could have spent more time letting them collide.
Instead, the film rushes toward an action climax that feels rushed and undercooked.
The Prequel Graphic Novel
On February 1, 2017, Netflix released a prequel graphic novel called Spectral: Ghosts of War, available digitally through ComiXology. It’s a curious footnote. The film doesn’t reference the comic, and it doesn’t feel like a gateway to further storytelling. It’s more of a marketing move than a creative extension.
The graphic novel likely fills in some of the gaps the film glosses over, but it’s not essential viewing for anyone who wants to understand Spectral itself.
The Civil War Setting
The film is set during a civil war in Moldova, with anti-government insurgents fighting the government. That context is used sparingly. The war feels like a backdrop rather than a driving force. The entities are presented as a natural disaster layered on top of a human conflict, and the film doesn’t explore the political fallout.
Chișinău is a real city, and the film uses it well. The abandoned factory scenes have a grim, industrial feel. The film’s visual palette is dark and muddy, which suits the tone. But the production design is often overshadowed by the film’s need to show the entities.
The Extraction Mission
The centerpiece of the film is the extraction mission to Durlești. Clyne and Madison join a Delta Force team led by Maj. Sessions to rescue the missing Utah team. The mission goes wrong when the vehicles run over a landmine, killing Comstock. The team takes shelter in an abandoned factory with Chen, Sari, and Bogdan.
The factory scene is tense. The entities can’t cross the iron filings, which creates a temporary safe zone. The team constructs IEDs and grenades laced with iron filings to fight back. It’s a smart tactical solution, and it gives the film a moment of ingenuity. But the scene is also where the film’s pacing problems become obvious. The action stretches out, and the tension dips as the camera lingers on explosions that don’t land with weight.
The Final Act
The film’s ending tries to resolve everything quickly. The entities are defeated, but the resolution is thin. The film doesn’t linger on the cost of the victory, and it doesn’t explore what comes next for the survivors. The tagline promises a difficult question, but the film answers it with a shrug.
| Element | Strength | Weakness |
|---|---|---|
| Premise | Unseen enemies, plausible technology | Entities lose menace over time |
| Cast | Strong ensemble, good chemistry | Supporting characters underdeveloped |
| Setting | Real-world locations, gritty visuals | Civil war context underused |
| Plot | Extraction mission delivers tension | Ending feels rushed and hollow |
Verdict
Spectral is a competently made film that never reaches its full potential. The unseen enemy is a great concept, but the execution doesn’t deliver on the promise. The cast is strong, and the factory sequences are tense, but the film’s pacing and resolution let it down.
It’s worth a watch for fans of military thrillers, but don’t expect a masterpiece. The film is currently available to stream on Netflix, and the prequel graphic novel is available digitally through ComiXology. The graphic novel is a minor curiosity, not a must-read.
The film is a missed opportunity. With a tighter script and a more committed approach to its central mystery, Spectral could have been a memorable entry in the genre. As it stands, it’s a solid, forgettable entry in Netflix’s catalog.
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