Reviews

What is wrong with critics lately??? It seems like they collectively decide which films they will like and which they will hate before they even come out. The major point here is that I did not think it was as bad as people said it was. I have to admit that I had mixed feelings about this movie initially. I kind of wanted to see it but I generally do not like remakes. There have been way too many of them recently. But I went to see it anyway and I'm glad I did. Here's why:

1) It is not really a remake. It is more like a re-imagining. They kept the same characters and same basic story about Klaatu coming to Earth, but the message is much different than the message from the original. It is a new, powerful message that I think everyone should hear and that relates very well to present day circumstances.

2) As another reviewer said, it is one of those movies that makes you think, even though it's not particularly uplifting. It forces you to evaluate the future of the human race and our responsibility as a species on this planet. It is a bit heavy and ponderous at times, but not so much so as to make it a horrible movie. I think this may be the reason that many people, including some critics, didn't like it. They don't like being "preached to" by "liberal tree-huggers." They don't like being evaluated and judged.

3) The special effects are breathtaking and I wish I could have seen it in I-MAX. Oh and GORT is extremely creepy. They did a great job with him (even though he's like 5,000 times bigger than the original GORT).

There were a few things I didn't particularly like and some things that could have been done better, such as the ending and a few of the shots/scenes. The acting wasn't horrible but it could have been better in a few spots as well. Keanu did a relatively good job portraying Klaatu but at the same time there was something missing from his performance. Overall, it is not a bad movie. It has its flaws and is not a Michael Bay action extravaganza, but it is NOT boring or awful. It has a powerful message that some people may not like, a beautiful, almost enchanting story, amazing special effects and it is definitely worth seeing in theaters in my opinion, especially if you can see it in I-MAX. Great re-imagining and perfect for the current environmental situation. DO NOT BELIEVE THE CRITICS!!!! 7.5/10

I have never played the Max Payne games, so I have no idea if the movie was faithful to its origins. I've heard some people say that it was and others say it wasn't. But in any case, this really wasn't as bad as everyone seems to think. No, there wasn't as much action as you might get in a "Transporter" movie, but that didn't really bother me because sometimes I like movies that have a little more thought behind them. There were still some really awesome action sequences though and it was definitely beautifully shot. The atmosphere that they created with the lighting was great.

However, there were still some things that I didn't like about this movie and that they could have done better. First, most of it, especially the beginning, seemed very jumbled and hard to understand. The writing and the editing were sub-par. Second, and this is probably due to the bad writing and editing, you never really connect with any of the characters and so you can never really feel any overwhelming emotion about their situation. The whole thing seemed slightly hollow and empty, as if the writer and director themselves were not quite sure what they were trying to get at. Third, the acting sucked big time in some scenes. It wasn't horrible throughout the whole movie, but it still left much to be desired. Fourth, there were many things in the story that weren't fully explained, which only contributed to the hollow, confused feeling of the entire movie.

So, overall, it is not a bad film, but I was slightly disappointed. It really could have been an amazing movie, and I blame the writer and editor for almost completely ruining it. The only thing that saves it is the few awesome action scenes and the cinematography. But please don't believe anyone that says it one of the worst movies ever because it's not. It's just not as good as it should have been.

7.5/10

When I first saw this movie in the theaters I was absolutely blown away by Will Smith's performance but other than that I wasn't too impressed. The theatrical ending, in my opinion, is pretty...well...gay. But I still liked it enough to buy it when it came out on DVD, especially when I saw that there was an ALTERNATE ENDING. So I watched it again with this supposedly "controversial" alternate ending and I absolutely loved it. I mean, I can kind of see why it's controversial but it's just so much BETTER. It really makes you THINK about the whole idea behind the movie and that's what makes a film great in my opinion. It's amazing how much an ending can affect a movie.

But anyway...my point is that you really, really need to watch the alternate ending. Plus, Will Smith was amazing. Maybe some people missed it, but for me, I have never full out cried during a movie before (and I've watched many tear jerker dramas)...and the dog scene along with the scenes immediately following it had the tears falling down my face. He deserved Best Actor, no matter if it was a Sci-Fi movie or not. It is his best performance to date. Just watch it and keep an open mind :)