Reviews

Trekkies rejoice; this is a great film. While not exactly intellectually stimulating, it does manage to do something that even the most intelligent sci-fi flicks often do not: it entertains. Filled with rousing moments of fun, it leaves the viewer with a warm filling after leaving the theater. The cast is of course excellent, especially Patrick Stewart and Brent Spiner. Tom Hardy makes a tremendously scary and charismatic villain out of Shinzon; I'd even go as far to say that he is a better villain than the over-the-top Kahn. In short, a very fun film, just check your critical side at the door and let your inner child take over.

It's a pity that this movie, one of the most creative in years, has

been so poorly received in theaters. The actors are uniformly

excellent; Joseph Gordon-Levitt actually sounds like a real

teenager, which is not an easy feat. The writers succeed

admirably in making Silver the right mix of hero and villain, and the

animators bring him and all the other characters to life beautifully.

The comic relief is funny but not overdone; particularly enjoyable

are Morph and B.E.N. The art, however is the film's highlight. It has

a visual style unlike any other, peppered with fun surprises. I

particularly like the galleon-esque spaceships; they're a welcome

break from the slew of Star Wars knockoffs that fill most modern

space films. As always, James Newton Howard provides an epic,

wondrous score that is a perfect accent to the movie. Let us hope that this wondrous film receives a second life on

video; it would be sad indeed if such an original creation faded into

obscurity.

For those who read and loved James Gurney's Dinotopia books, the miniseries was quite a letdown. With one dimensional characters, hammy acting (with the exception of David Thewlis), and a clunky script, it failed, even over a six hour period, to capture the magic that Gurney had created. The good news is that the series seems to be a marked improvement. While still plagued with cheesy dialogue, the cast comes across as much more talented, and they have a good deal more charisma. The abundant dinosaurs, while not ILM quality, are very impressive, and become a part of the story rather than a cheap visual gimmick. The producers also have wisely decided to keep much of Trevor Jones' orchestral score from the miniseries, a blessing in today's slew of corny pop TV themes. While it still has a long way to go before it can be called as good as the books, this series shows great promise. Let's hope the pieces continue to fall into place before it is cancelled and the opportunity is lost forever.