Action / Adventure Movie Reviews

WAR OF THE WORLDS SCIENCE FICTION BLOCKBUSTER

WHO IS IN IT: Tom Cruise is the central character in this latest offering from Steven Speilberg. He plays a Joe average New York crane operator. His daughter is played by Dakota Fanning, and we also see Tim Robbins in a commendable cameo.
WHAT IT IS ABOUT: Set in the present day, it tells the tale of an alien attack upon the earth, as in the novel of the same name by HG Wells. It is revealed that a life form of superior intelligence has had machines of destruction hidden under the earth for millions, maybe billions of years, and has chosen now to attack and exterminate the human race. We follow a small part of this world-wide chaos as we accompany Cruise, his son and daughter, in their race for survival.
WHAT I THOUGHT ABOUT IT: This movie takes the word "suspenseful" to a previously unsurpassed level. This riveting movie was rife with unabated tension from almost the beginning to the end. On a couple of occasions I would go so far as to say it was disturbing, due to the realism of the unfolding horror, and the responses of the characters and crowds to that horror. There is also always the thought at the back of one's mind that it might hold an element of truth. Great special effects and believable crowd scenes all add to the realism and atmosphere. We begin to be afraid not only of the aliens, but of the humans in this story.
ROUNDUP: Strong acting performances from Cruise, Fanning and Justin Chatwin as the son, coupled with strong direction and effects, make this a must see movie for everyone over the age of about 12. Definitely not recommended for younger children or those who may be frightened by such subjects, as it is far more realistic and less warm and fuzzy than counterparts such as "Independence Day". Theres subtle comment about human response to disaster and minor mentions of the relationships between the main characters, which are intrinsic to the story. But the main upshot of this moving film is to treasure your life and your family, because when there's nothing else there, they are all you really have.

GATTACA SCIENCE FICTION (but without aliens and laser guns)

WHO IS IN IT: Ethan Hawke stars in this great story about an imperfect young man in the perfect, genetically engineered land of Gattaca.He is supported by Uma Thurman and Jude Law in a fine performance.
WHAT IT IS ABOUT:The time is the not too distant future, the place presumably Earth. Everyone is genetically engineered for optimum capabilities and to rule out everything from buck teeth violent tendencies, depression to heart disease.Vincent's parents have a "faith birth", where they trust in their son being fine without the engineering. However, when he is "sequenced" at birth, his profile shows a weak heart and a life expectancy of 30.2 years. Vincent is too high a risk even to attend kindergarten. They have another engineered son two years later who is fitter and taller than his puny brother.But despite his genetic inadequacies, Vincent dreams of flying to the stars on one of the regular one year space missions, and nothing can deter him from his dream.With the help of a facilitator, Vincent takes on the genetic identity of an athlete (Jerome, played by Jude Law) who has become a paraplegic. This involves an amazing amount of perseverance and deception on the part of Vincent, as he weaves his way through countless urine, blood and hair tests to prove he is who he says he is (not to mention getting his legs made longer (ouch)).He becomes what is known in Gattaca as a degeneric.But someone in his office is murdered, and the police vacuum and scan all genetic material, and find an eyelash belonging to Vincent, who is an "invalid". Of course they immediately suspect him as being the murderer, not one of their genetically engineered elite. Did he do it? Due to blast off in one week, with the police on his heels and his heart already one year past its use-by date, will he make it?
WHAT I THOUGHT ABOUT IT: I found Gattaca to be a wonderful story set in a futuristic context, but by no means of the silly science fiction genre. There is also a lot more to the Gattaca story than at first meets the eye. There are underlying themes throughout. Even the most perfectly engineered still face failure, can be murdered, commit suicide or fail because of lack of determination, and even the weakest can succeed if given the chance.Many people dont realise their full potential because they have no desire to do so. Vincent uses Jerome's potential to succeed because Jerome cannot, so is potential actually more of a social phenomena than a tangible physical characteristic?
ROUNDUP:The acting was good, the story interesting, theres a great twist at the end I cant mention, and overall its just a very enjoyable film. YOu dont have to be a science fiction buff to enjoy this one, but science fiction enthusiasts should also be amply satisfied.

AIRFORCE ONE

WHO IS IN IT: This action movie stars Harrison Ford as the President of the United States, Glenn Close as his deputy, and John Malkovich as a crazed Russian terrorist who hijacks his plane with his family and entourage on board.
WHAT IT IS ABOUT: A crazed band of Russian terrorists infiltrate the US security system and board Airforce One on a trip to Russia, demanding the release of a political prisoner. What they don't count on is the Vietnam -learned survival and combat skills of the country's leader. Harrison Ford singlehandedly defeats the formidable enemy in a non-stop action movie to out-action any other.
WHAT I THOUGHT ABOUT IT: As far as action movies go, this one takes the cake. The action is non-stop, the special effects stunning, and if you can suspend disbelief for two hours it's very enjoyable.

THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK

WHO IS IN IT: Leonardo Di Caprio is Louis XIV and his estranged brother (the man in the iron mask), while the three (middle aged) musketeers are played by Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich & Gerard Depardieu, with Gabriel Byrne as D'Artagnan.
WHAT IT IS ABOUT: King Louis is not popular, the people are starving, the armies are dying in war, and he is living the life of the idle rich.D'Artagnan, as head of the King's Musketeers, must save Louis from countless assassination attempts.But why is he so very determined to protect the king at all costs? (We find out later).Meanwhile, the three musketeers, now retired, band together once more in a dangerous quest to free France from Louis' destructive influence and replace him with his long lost brother (the man in the Iron Mask). Will they be successful when pitted against the seemingly invincible D'Artagnan.?
WHAT I THOUGHT ABOUT IT: I enjoyed the movie. It was attractively filmed. The storyline was interesting, if occasionally during its 2 and a half hours it seemed a bit slow.The characters were well formed and believable, and Gerard Depardieu's amusing Porthos gave pleasant comic relief. I found the strong American accents of Di Caprio and Malkovich quite off-putting, as I always do in these type of films (eg Christian Slaters New York drawl in Robin Hood Prince of Thieves)but everyone else seemed to blend in quite nicely.
ROUNDUP: I would recommend the movie to anyone who enjoys stories like Robin Hood and King Arthur etc. But dont expect non-stop action and bloodshed, it's a quiet movie.I give it 3 and a half stars and would have given it 4 had it not been for the jarring accents.