Okay, Shaq can't act. But he doesn't need to; he's mostly there to be big and imposing. It's hardly a good movie, but it's an entertaining kidflick...
Reviews
3 Reviews
The exception to the rule
29 January 1999
Everyone "knows" that sequels are never as good as the original.
THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK is not only better than the original SW, it is much better. Characters who, in the original, had the depth of a puddle here develop and become human (or whatever). Incidents contribute to a well-rounded whole instead of being cool stuff stuck in simply because it would be cool. Even the far-too-obvious revelation ("I am your father, Luke") comes at a time and in a way that humanizes the until then mechanically evil Vader.
True, Lucas' patented blend of bland mysticism with portentous pronouncements is still present, now represented by a muppet rather than Alec Guinness: but even that has been turned to the service of the story. The training of the hero has become more than a blend of fortune-cookie wisdom and how to hold your weapon; we see it as the difficult, painful, and frustrating thing it _must_ be, and in so seeing, we see Luke as a potential hero and not the dumb hick he was throughout the first film. (He's still largely a dumb hick, but he's a dumb hick with some experience under his belt and some serious potential as a human being.)
Of the three "classic" SW films, this is the one that most deserves to be seen on a big screen. After discounting for the way-cool special effects (which, even after the recent refurbishing, are still nothing to write home about in the late 1990s, amazing though they were twenty years ago), EMPIRE has far and away the most visual impact of the three. From the stark expanses of the iceworld at the beginning to the terrifying climactic sequence with the injured Luke hanging by one hand from the bottom of the cloud city, the whole screen is used to good effect to bring the viewer visually and, more important, viscerally into the action.
THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK is not only better than the original SW, it is much better. Characters who, in the original, had the depth of a puddle here develop and become human (or whatever). Incidents contribute to a well-rounded whole instead of being cool stuff stuck in simply because it would be cool. Even the far-too-obvious revelation ("I am your father, Luke") comes at a time and in a way that humanizes the until then mechanically evil Vader.
True, Lucas' patented blend of bland mysticism with portentous pronouncements is still present, now represented by a muppet rather than Alec Guinness: but even that has been turned to the service of the story. The training of the hero has become more than a blend of fortune-cookie wisdom and how to hold your weapon; we see it as the difficult, painful, and frustrating thing it _must_ be, and in so seeing, we see Luke as a potential hero and not the dumb hick he was throughout the first film. (He's still largely a dumb hick, but he's a dumb hick with some experience under his belt and some serious potential as a human being.)
Of the three "classic" SW films, this is the one that most deserves to be seen on a big screen. After discounting for the way-cool special effects (which, even after the recent refurbishing, are still nothing to write home about in the late 1990s, amazing though they were twenty years ago), EMPIRE has far and away the most visual impact of the three. From the stark expanses of the iceworld at the beginning to the terrifying climactic sequence with the injured Luke hanging by one hand from the bottom of the cloud city, the whole screen is used to good effect to bring the viewer visually and, more important, viscerally into the action.
Mercury Rising
(1998)
Mind candy to rot your mental teeth
30 November 1998
Okay, it's a Bruce Willis vehicle. But after "Fifth Element," I had come to expect something more -- well, competent.
It isn't giving anything away to tell you that this is yet another film in which the Eeeevil Government Spooks (they're always US Government, aren't they...?) have no ethical qualms about killing innocent citizens to protect their secrets.
The secret in question is the USA's latest crypto method, and is endangered because a couple of idiots stuck it into a puzzle magazine to test it.
Riiight.
Simon (Miko Hughes), an autistic child, solves the puzzle.
Apparently the writers don't understand the difference between "autistic" and "idiot savant." A subtle distinction, true, and made more difficult for Hollywood success-think by the stereotypes engendered by "Rain Man." -- yes, some autists can perform prodigies of calculation and so on, largely because of intense concentration. But they're not generally idiots, and there's essentially no chance that this kid would be the only person in the world to solve that particular puzzle, even granting it was soluble in the first place, which, given what is shown, seems quite unlikely.
In the mind of NSA bigwig Kudrow (portrayed by Alec Baldwin), this justifies killing the kid. Well, maybe, though taking him into custody until they'd assessed the risk would seem more appropriate -- not to mention more in line with real security thinking; the kid may be useful. But it's not enough to kill him, the agent whacks his parents. First. Which gives the kid the ability to get away, right into the arms of Art (Bruce Willis) Jeffries.
The rest of the movie is taken up with violence, escalating and recurring frequently enough to keep most viewers from noticing that there is essentially no story here.
It isn't giving anything away to tell you that this is yet another film in which the Eeeevil Government Spooks (they're always US Government, aren't they...?) have no ethical qualms about killing innocent citizens to protect their secrets.
The secret in question is the USA's latest crypto method, and is endangered because a couple of idiots stuck it into a puzzle magazine to test it.
Riiight.
Simon (Miko Hughes), an autistic child, solves the puzzle.
Apparently the writers don't understand the difference between "autistic" and "idiot savant." A subtle distinction, true, and made more difficult for Hollywood success-think by the stereotypes engendered by "Rain Man." -- yes, some autists can perform prodigies of calculation and so on, largely because of intense concentration. But they're not generally idiots, and there's essentially no chance that this kid would be the only person in the world to solve that particular puzzle, even granting it was soluble in the first place, which, given what is shown, seems quite unlikely.
In the mind of NSA bigwig Kudrow (portrayed by Alec Baldwin), this justifies killing the kid. Well, maybe, though taking him into custody until they'd assessed the risk would seem more appropriate -- not to mention more in line with real security thinking; the kid may be useful. But it's not enough to kill him, the agent whacks his parents. First. Which gives the kid the ability to get away, right into the arms of Art (Bruce Willis) Jeffries.
The rest of the movie is taken up with violence, escalating and recurring frequently enough to keep most viewers from noticing that there is essentially no story here.
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