Go Beyond…?

I can’t tell how I feel about this new spot from The Mill for Land Rover. For The Mill’s part, it’s incredibly well done; the vfx work is simply stunning.

And there are some very nice directorial moments from Nicolai Fuglsigâ€â€?the entire office scene, for instance. That green glow across the workers’ faces is a great touch, making us feel as though we are inside a horrible 1985-ish computer terminal looking out at ourselves, trapped in an office with bad air conditioning. The whole thing is beautifully claustrophobic.

But it also feels a little forced. There’s a fine line between melodrama and fantasy, and I think this spot dances over that line from time to time, mainly due to overly exuberant writing near the end. I don’t really buy the climax. I do, however, think recalling the office scene (with that artfully placed phone ring!) was a slick move that recovers some of the spot’s power.