Reviews of Flushed Away (Widescreen Edition) (2006)

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Perhaps that's because it's from Aardman Studios, famous for "Wallace And Gromit" and "Chicken Run." Aardman is also well known for their claymation style of animation, which is lovingly preserved, albeit through the use of CGI in "Flushed Away."

The story revolves around Roddy (Hugh Jackman), a family pet who gets flushed into the sewers of London by an unwelcome guest named Sid (Shane Richie). Sid takes over the world "up there" while Roddy is left to fight for his life in the seedy underbelly of London's sewers. In all actuality, though, life in the sewers isn't too terribly bad. When Roddy arrives there, he finds a near replica of London full of busy streets and shops. He decides that he must get home, and seeks out the aid of Rita (Kate Winslet), a female rat who's known for shady dealings. On her tail (pun intended) are the goons of The Toad (Sir Ian McKellan), who says that a ruby he owned which fell from the crown of either Prince Charles or the Queen (I don't remember which) was stolen by her and he wants it back. Of course Roddy thinks that by assisting him in finding the ruby, he'll get help in return to get back home. What he gets instead is more trouble when Rita steals something else from The Toad.

From there, the story becomes a pretty decent action/comic yarn where The Toad's cousin, Le Frog (Jean Reno) and his henchmen try to retrieve the item that Rita has stolen. It's an integral part of a master plan for revenge by The Toad on all of rodent-kind. Along the way, Roddy and Rita become close friends and Roddy decides that he has to help Rita and her family. It's all tied nicely together in the end and is definitely fun to watch.

The voice talents are wonderful. Jackman, Winslet, McKellan and Reno all do wonderful jobs. Andy Serkis, who portrayed Gollum in "Lord of the Rings" and did a lot of the physical movements of Kong in Peter Jackson's "King Kong," plays one of The Toad's henchmen along with Bill Nighy, recent of the latest "Pirate's of the Caribbean" flick.

The humor is, as expected, well grounded in British comedy and uses slapstick at will to enduce laughter from children. There are plenty of crotch injuries, one fart joke, and a few pokes at stereotypical Americans and the French. It's all done with good intentions and there's nothing really offensive here.

It will hold the attention of both young and old, but children will probably enjoy it more than adults. I enjoyed it but I have a tendency to enjoy silly children's flicks like this. I'm also a fan of Aardman's other work, so perhaps I'm a little biased. Rest assured that whenever it leaves the theaters and eventually hits the DVD rack, I'll be one of the first to buy it for myself and my family.

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The first two reviews pretty well summed up this great movie! Funny, fast paced and lots of in jokes, past film references, sight gags from other Aardman films, a good story and was well executed!

I highly recommend this movie if you love "Chicken Run", and "Wallace & Gromit". If you have not seen any of Aardmans other shows/movies you will miss a few sight gags, but that is certionly no reason not to see this! So in the end; This movie is a must see and definitely fun for the whole family.

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I have to be honest. This probably deserves four stars instead of five, but despite a sometimes-rushed narrative there were so many delightful moments in this film that I couldn't with a light heart give it less. In the never-ending search for new subjects to animate, no one had before attempted to tell a story about sewer rats. Fortunately, the rats in FLUSHED AWAY are remarkably humanoid, largely covered with light-colored skin, and sporting not terribly disgusting tails. So while this is a story of rats, they are rats with all of the unpleasantries associated with the vermin stripped away.

The film was made by Aardman Productions, the company founded on the success of Nick Park's amazing Claymation projects, most famously the Wallace and Gromit films as well as CHICKEN RUN. This film is all CGI, I suspect because most of the scenes are set in the sewer, which is surrounded by water. I'm not sure that it would be possible to do a Claymation project that involves copious amounts of water. Although the film is CGI, all the characters sport the look that we all associate with Nick Park projects. Interestingly, Park does not appear in the credits, although the aesthetic he created permeates the film.

The story tells the ordeals suffered by Roddy, a pet rat owned by a little girl in Kensington in London. When the family is on vacation and the house is invaded by a street punk rat (voiced by Shane Ritchie of THE EASTENDERS), the elegant rat finds himself flushed down the toilet to the sewer, where he discovers an entire community of rats. Wanting to return home, he is directed to a boat owned by a female rat named Rita. The rest of the film deals both with Rita's attempt to help Roddy get home as well as their struggles to evade the minions of a toad sewer lord. The plot is adequate to the task, but what is delightful about the film is the wonderfully fresh and inventive humor. There are also a number of animals used to great effect that have amazingly been neglected by the legions of earlier animal animators, in particular snails, which are used for comic relief and for -I am not kidding -musical background. There is also a wonderful gang of frogs that are, of course, French. Led by their chief Le Frog, they are masters of the martial arts and have their very own mime, who provides some of the film's finest comic moments.

One reason the film succeeds so wonderfully is the first cast voiceover talent. Hugh Jackman gets to put some of his talents to use that were never needed in the X-Men films, even getting to show off his outstanding singing voice on a couple of numbers. Kate Winlet is appropriately fetching as Rita and Ian McKellan is marvelously over-the-top as Toad. Andy Serkis and Bill Nighy voice Toad's two main henchmen. One of the great delights of the movie is Le Frog, voiced by Jean Reno.

I think this is a film that can be equally enjoyed by parents and their kids. The preview audience that I saw this with contained probably more adults than it will enjoy upon general release, but the few kids in the audience laughed very hard throughout. So did the adults. There are a number of animated films coming out in the next couple of months for the holidays, but I have a sneaking suspicion that this one might end up being the best -and certainly the funniest -of the bunch.

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I found Flushed Away a very amusing movie that my entire family enjoyed. The story line was predictable, but enjoyable. It was one of those movies you can watch over an over.

The signing slugs were one of the perks in the movie, very, very amusing, though everything else was just laugh-out loud comedy.

It's defintily a family movie that everyone can enjoy.

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Wonderful animation movie with cute songs, adorable critters and sweet characters. A privileged pet rat gets flushed by an unwanted, rude guest (another rat from the sewers) and is sent into a world far different than his pampered cage. He struggles to get back 'up top' to his old home and easy lifestyle. However, a rich rat discovers that his cushy life is pretty empty without friends and family and must decide if they are better than clean cages and cuisine. Delightful family entertainment!

Chrissy K. McVay Author

Buy The Rookie (Widescreen Edition) (2002)

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The Rookie is well-done. It doesn't have the feel of a traditional 'tug-on-your-heartstrings' family film. Instead, scenes are shot artistically, there is space between events, the director and writers gave the time and energy to tell the story and tell the story well, and emotional cues aren't yanked one time too many.

So, the story may be well-known to most but it's a phenomenal one to tell. Based on true life story of Jim Morris, he finds his way to Major League Baseball late in life as a relief pitcher for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays through the encouragement of his High School baseball team. What is really nice is the way the writers took the linear story and added an additional element of history to it. The story goes that in Big Springs, Texas some Nuns early on made a risky financial investment and prayed to the Saint of impossible dreams. Jim Morris's dream may seemed impossible but it is a source of encouragement and inspiration for the rest of us following our dreams.

Dennis Quaid is quite good in the role and plays Jim Morris faithfully. The setting is a key element in a seemingly run-down town and run-down baseball lot in West Texas...a place that dreams are carried through. It brings Jim Morris to his MLB debut at the Ballpark in Arlington which is good to see an authentic setting with real teams and real players instead of fictitious stand-ins.

Fight to keep a dry eye with

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The Rookie can probably be considered as one of the great baseball classics in the likes of Field of Dreams and Bull Durham. Based on the true story of Jim Morris, this is a moving tale of a man who gets a second shot at a life long dream. Husband and a father of three, Morris is a teacher at Big Lake, Texas, who was playing in the minor league until he hurt his shoulder. Now he coaches the school's baseball team, and to inspire his players, he makes a deal with them. If they are able to win the district title, Morris agrees to try out for the major league.

Director John Lee Hancock took his time with the character development, and it pays off as he gives us a tiny glimpse of Morris' childhood, of how much the game of baseball means to him. Dennis Quaid does an impressive job portraying Morris, I'd even say that he is totally perfect for the role, he is expressive, convincing and the acting just blows me away. Rachel Griffiths is a good complement as Morris' wife Lorri, supportive and a woman with incredible inner toughness, I also enjoyed her performance.

The Rookie is a great family film, and it's immensely entertaining, I highly recommend it even if you're not a sports fan.

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This is a heart warming, family friendly Disney movie that is based upon the true story of Texan Jim Morris, a baseball buff and minor leagues player has been, who becomes a high school teacher and baseball coach in a town where football is king. To motivate the lackluster baseball team he coaches, Jim strikes a deal with the team, which the the team initiates, knowing that their coach pitches a mean fast ball. Jim agrees that if they wins the district championship, he will try out for a major leagues baseball team.

Much to his surprise and chagrin, the high school team he coaches goes on to take it all, and the thirty something Jim is forced to come to terms with his pledge. He does so, trying out for a major leagues baseball team, and finds himself living a dream come true. How can he not, with a fast ball clocking at 98 miles per hour?

Dennis Quaid, with his shy, boyish charm and ingratiating toothy grin, is terrific in the role of Jim Morris. Rachel Griffiths is excellent as his down to earth, supportive wife. The rest of the cast also give very good performances. With its G rating, this film is suitable for all ages. It is an enjoyable, feel good, message movie.

The DVD has a number of excellent bonus features, in additional to the usual deleted scenes segment. Baseball buffs and those who play the game will certainly enjoy the feature "Spring Training: Tips From the Pros". I especially enjoyed the featurette "The Inspirational Story of Jim Morris", in which Jim Morris himself tells in his own words the incredible journey that led to the realization of his dream.

Honest reviews on The Rookie (Widescreen Edition) (2002)

I'm not much of a sports fan, and yet, quite a few of my favorite movies, interestingly enough, are sports movies. It was in watching Rookie that I realized why, as I listened to Jim Morris, played by Dennis Quaid, talk about his dreams. Sports movies are often less about sports and more about beating the odds to capture a dream held close to the heart. These are stories of hope, courage, determination, persistence, and a passion for doing what one is meant to do.

In line with this, sports movies are fequently devoid of special effects. No glitz. No flashy distraction. Just good down to earth stories with a lot of heart.

Rookie ranks with perhaps the top ten, if not top five, of my favorite movies. All the elements of a good plot are here. It doesn't hurt that the story is a true one, based on Jim Morris, as told in his own words, about how he came to play for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays as an "old man."

The story begins with the boy, whose military, emotionally distant father is completely insensitive to his son's need for his attention and support. Boy loves baseball, with a passion, but father moves the family from town to town in pursuit of his military career, and he runs his family in a similarly military manner: cold, commanding, no arguments. From time to time, Jim makes an effort to solicit his father's approval, but it is not forthcoming.

The final military post brings the family to a small town in Texas, and it seems no one there cares about baseball. What the boy hasn't found in his father, he appears to find in the warm heart of a store owner who may not carry "baseball stuff" among his merchandise, but, seeing the crestfallen and lonely boy's face at this news, immediately brings out a catalog with promises of ordering all things baseball.

The story jumps to the adult Morris. He has a family, a wife who is the good woman behind the good man, two small children. His young son, Hunter, played by Angus T. Jones (today of "Two and a Half Men" fame), is something of a star in this movie, too, tugging at the heartstrings as he portrays how a son looks to his father to be his hero. Morris has become a high school science teacher who coaches the school baseball team, the Owls. His dreams, it seems, are long over. He had been on the brink of playing professional baseball, but injuries kept him on the sidelines, and he quit his dream before it was his. Morris's bitterness with his father's lack of support is still very much alive in the adult son, and there are great scenes between the man and his elderly father (played by Brian Cox), who with age has mellowed, has been divorced by his wife, lives alone, and still has no understanding about the sport, but at last senses he has not been much of a dad.

When the Owls do poorly on the field, coach Morris chides them on not playing with enough passion. He talks to them about not giving up. I cheered out loud, yes!, when his team called him on his own hypocrisy. They have seen him pitch, they know their coach not only still has his good arm, they know he still aches to follow his dream, even if he has lost courage. A deal is struck. They will win their tournament, but then their coach must go to the try-outs.

They win the tournament.

It's an absolutely wonderful scene as Morris struggles with his children while going to the try-outs. He hasn't had the guts to tell his wife about this "foolish" settling of a deal, and he ends up with a crying baby in a stroller, his small son cheering from the back of a pickup truck, while other athletes chuckle at the "old man" trying to pitch. Until he throws the pitch. He clocks 98 miles per hour.

And it's a beautiful thing, how Morris continues to struggle with doubts and is torn between following his old dream and being with the family he so loves. He goes back and forth more than once. He even asks his father for advice--who gives him advice he doesn't want to hear. At one point, his wife withholds her support. This is madness, and the family can't live on $600 a month while daddy plays ball. But when she realizes how much her son Hunter looks up to his father, how important it is to not only hear the good advice of a father, but to see that father as a role model who shows the courage and determination to face his fears and give his dream a try, well, she gives in. She not only gives in, she becomes her husband's biggest fan, except perhaps Hunter.

Morris ends up playing major league baseball. The hard pursuit comes to its most satisfying end. Yes, Hunter, your daddy is a hero. And Morris, pitching his first major league game, finally makes peace with his father. Who still may not understand baseball. But who is finally starting to understand about being a father.

Six stars. Do not miss.

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My wife and I watched this movie, and loved it. We watched it on Christmas day. This is an inspirational movie, and it is based on real life.

I heard Jim Morris, who Dennis Quaid protrayed in this movie, interviewed on a national sports-talk program. One question was if the movie was as it really happened, or if they Hollywoodized it. Morris mentioned there were two things in the movie that were different from real life. One was that it took his experiences as a coach at two High Schools, and made it just one High School. The other is a scene where he throws a ball past a radar detector, to demonstrate his speed and his lack of knowledge of that speed. In other words, you have what really happened.

The review in the Indianapolis Star said it followed two major movie cliches. Who cares? It was enjoyable to watch as an adult, and it is a movie that children can also enjoy. And we definitely need more movies like that!

Back to the movie: very good supporting cast. Dennis Quaid is the only name I recognize.

Jeff Reynolds

Buy Amityville 3-D : Widescreen Edition

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The title of the film is AMITYVILLE 3-D, but you won't find the third dimension on this DVD. Released theatrically in polarized (clear glasses) 3-D back in 1983, the US DVD is presented in flat format only.

At least the disc restores the film to the correct 2:35 to 1 widescreen ratio, and a teaser trailer I'd never seen before is included too.

They COULD and SHOULD have included a field sequential 3-D version (for use with LCD shutter glasses) on the DVD as well as the modified flat print. That would at least approximate the theatrical experience at home. It's easily done, even a low budget film like THE CREEPS is now available in that format!

Don't be sorry they didn't include a terrible red/blue anaglyph conversion like they did on the recent British DVD release; that looks awful and nothing like the original 3-D anyway. Better to watch it flat than in the inferior anaglyph form.

Buy the box set; you'll also get parts one and two and a disc of documentaries, plus a ticket to see the new Amityville remake.

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This wonderful, underrated haunted house/ghost story has been lost to time owing to the fact that it is a. a (second) sequel, b. a sequel in a not very good film series (based on supposedly true events that everyone always pretty well knew weren't true at all), and c. a gimmick movie. But it's much better than that, and deserves a fresh look.

Supernatural debunker Tony Roberts and his girlfriend Candy Clark, who run a magazine devoted to exposing charlatanry, obtain the notorious haunted Amityville house. Roberts refuses to recognize signs of genuine paranormal activity going on around them, but accedes to having scientific ghost phenomena researcher Robert Joy give the house a going-over after two of his loved ones die and a third loses her mind because of the house.

The production on this movie is really top-notch. It has very little jump-out-of-the-dark scare in it, more in the slow and sensually horrific mode. Though the finale goes a little over the top, virtually the entire film is handled like an adult version of Tobe Hooper's more childish Poltergeist. The supernatural phenomena are relatively realistic, for the most part. People hallucinate; they have accidents; voices are heard, or things are seen, but there is no obvious attribution to anything supernatural or demonic the phenomena simply are, that's all, and some people don't handle them well and end up coming to harm. And yet, there is an underpinning of evil to the entire proceedings that is quite effectively realized.

The cast are all terrific. Tess Harper is Roberts' estranged ex-wife, who loses her marbles quite convincingly as a result of her exposure to phenomena in the house. Lori Loughlin is their adorable daughter, whose best friend is a young and racy Meg Ryan. Veteran director Richard Fleischer keeps things moving nicely, without ever sacrificing the rich atmosphere.

The 3-D effects actually don't "fall flat," so to speak, in 2-D they still communicate pretty well, with clever camerawork that creates illusions of perspective in creepy fashion. The music score and cinematography are perfect the film has a dark look and feel, and the score is slow, low and eerie.

All in all though with occasional lapses a haunted house movie for the thinking adults. Well worth a watch.

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You ever want to have a little Halloween cheer, but you're absolutely pressed to get the house tidied up, or wash dishes, or do taxes? At ease, my friend: you've found the right horror flick in "Amityville 3 in 3-D", occasionally subtitled "The Demon". If you've pressed on through the series, then you may as well don your battle armor and go hand-to-claw with the vicious undead, if only to see a very young Meg Ryan with a ouija board.

This half-hearted 1983 follow-up to its degenerate 1982 predecessor isn't half the monster "Amityville 2" is, but it's amusing if you're drunk or bored or busy, and it will put you in the Halloween spirit, guaranteed---and unlike "Amityville 2", it won't make you feel guilty for watching it afterward. Numero 3 in the trilogy of the nasty Long Island real-estate bargain introduces us to ghost-buster John Baxter (played by Woody Allen regular Tony Roberts, who plays along but still seems baffled to be here), who picks up that wicked colonial by the sea for a song after busting a fraudulent seance-ring (yeah, they were grasping by the time #3 came along). Despite the misgivings of colleague and sometime sweetie Melanie (Candy Clark, who lends dignity to the proceedings), Baxter buys the house lock stock & smoking barrel, despite the fact that the over-eager real estate agent dies soon after the deal is consummated, evidently from fly asphyxiation. Hey, if it's a steal on the East Coast---with a boat dock and a pool house, by God----you've gotta move on it!

Surprisingly, soon after demonic possession and other creepy shenanigans ensue, with innocent daughter Susan (Lori Laughlin, a bore but doing what she was paid to do) paying the price and a very young Meg Ryan (Lisa) getting to enjoy the ride. Will you enjoy it? If you're easily amused (like I am) and can be bribed with a bug-eyed gollum-esque demon, a nasty incineration death, and a spooky well/porthole-to-hell, then you'll be in good hands. And let's face it: director Richard Fleischer is an old Hollywood hand, a steely-eyed veteran director, who knows what he's doing---for Crom's sake, he directed "Soylent Green", "Doctor Dolittle", and "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea"---this guy is the Winston Churchill of Directors! Trust him! Ultimately, though, Fleischer was in his autumn years, and after this flick he was lucky to helm "Red Sonja" and "Conan the Destroyer". I'm not kidding.

When it comes right down to it, where the rubber meets the road, "Amityville 3: The Demon" is a decent little horror movie, and will certainly occupy you (occasionally) while you double check the tax forms. Best of all, you can go on a munchies run and not miss much. Ah true, there's a ghoulish, shivery little sequence where Tony Roberts dreams his daughter is confined as a demonic mermaid in the well beneath the house, and that's shivery---truly, nightmarishly shivery. And did I mention "Amityville 3" is a shameless rip-off, particularly when it comes to lighting, of the far superior "Poltergeist"? If you know these things going in, though, you should enjoy yourself.

And more than anything, you'll know this: if the real estate agent promises something that sounds too good to be true, it's probably demon-possessed.

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Hello all I normally don't complaint about my orders from Amazon but this one really upset me I was planning a pajama party for my daughter and thought having 3-d movies will be a cool item. Received my movie and comes to find out the movie wasn't in 3-d format. To make a long story short the company needs to get into details letting their customers know that the movie isn't really in 3-d.

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As a collector of 3-D movies that really work, this one is a total rip off!! Do not waste your time or money if you expect a 3-D experience. Movie was a bit out of focus, no viewing glasses included what so ever, and did not even work with any of the many different types of 3-D glasses that I own. Was not even worth the bother of returning it, so I threw it in the trash, do not believe everything you read! This DVD was totally misleading in its description.

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Within the first fifteen minutes of Sky Captain, I was in. Gigantic robots swarm New York City and stomp through the streets, Gwenyth Paltrow as Polly Perkins does a pitch-perfect emulation of those 1930's newspaper gals, and the whole movie has the feel of the best old sci-fi movie never made. I felt like a five-year-old again; not in that still-eating-paste sense, but because something on the screen was so boldly exciting I nearly leapt out of my seat and applauded. No freaking joke. Needless to say, the rest of Sky Captain never really reaches the level of invigoration that its slam-bang opener achieves (and yeah, it has a few slow moments), but it's still an accomplished, consistently interesting movie with enough in-jokes to keep film buffs satisfied (look for not only references to The Wizard of Oz, but a few Citizen Kane nods as well) and enough rip-roaring action for everyone else.

Sky Captain could have been an empty exercise just for the sake of a new filmmaking technique I'm sure you know by now it was all done in front of a blue screen. What makes it so interesting, though, is how seriously everyone takes the whole endeavor. Jude Law effortlessly embodies the sarcastic, multi-talented everyman do-gooder; Gwenyth Paltrow delivers those one-liners in a way that Howard Hawks would be proud; Giovanni Ribisi steals his scenes like any faithful sidekick should; and the whole plot of the movie (which could have been a borderline parody) comes off as deadly serious. Don't let the blue-screen hesitation hold you back from this one; if you complain that they don't make 'em like they used to, here's proof that it's not always the case. B+

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I think I can say with some confidence that Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow is not quite like any other film you've ever seen. Whether that's a good or a bad thing depends on what you think a movie should be.

Sky Captain is set in the years between the World Wars. Ace big-city reporter Polly Perkins (Gwyneth Paltrow) gets wind of a shadowy world-domination plot involving a German uber-scientist, named Totenkopf. As she begins to investigate, the city is attacked by giant robot storm troopers, who wreak destruction and attempt to steal the municipal generators. (I am not making this up.) Polly and the city are saved by the timely arrival of Joe "Sky Captain" Sullivan (Jude Law), who turns the tide in his trusty P-40 fighter plane. Polly and Joe, who have a bit of a history, reluctantly join forces to find Totenkopf and foil his evil plans. They are aided by Joe's whiz-kid sidekick, Dex (Giovanni Ribisi), and his old flame Francesca "Franky" Cook (Angelina Jolie), who is the commodore of an armada of flying British aircraft carriers. (Still not making this up.) The good guys brave sundry fantastical adventures involving many more mechanized henchmen before they finally locate Dr. Totenkopf's lair in Nepal. The ultimate confrontation that ensues between good and evil brings the earth to the brink of apocalypse.

Okay, so much for the plot, which is pretty negligible. And while we're at it, let's dispose of the acting; Law, Paltrow and Ribisi are capable actors with good range, but Sky Captain's script wouldn't overtax the thespianic skills of a wombat. All of which is beside the point, because this movie is about other things.

The first thing to know about Sky Captain is that pretty much everything you see on the screen, aside from the actors themselves, is created whole cloth out of CGI. That gives creator Kerry Conran almost unlimited license to do whatever he chooses and what he chooses is very odd indeed, if rather intriguing withal. Conran goes to extraordinary lengths to make Sky Captain look convincingly like a very old science fiction movie; even the "film" stock seems aged, the color bleached, the images burred with slight haloes. The very conceit of a lone mad scientist developing technology to destroy the world as we know it is hopelessly antique (although admittedly the plot has rather a lot in common with 1979's Moonraker). And the gargantuan, bolted and riveted, bucket-headed robots look like they marched straight out of the 1950s.

Conran gleefully adopts the logic holes, discontinuities, and plot conveniences that were standard in movies before audiences developed a taste for realism. Early in the movie, for instance, Dex is grabbed by a robot and carried off, but somehow finds time to leave a clue stuck to the underside of a desk by a wad of chewed gum. Following the clue, Joe and Polly fly all over the globe (including an ocean or two) in his little P-40, managing to pack along a few cases of Vienna Sausages and an apparently inexhaustible supply of wardrobe changes. At one point, the plane gets a big rock lodged in its tail assembly, making it impossible for Joe to maneuver, but then a few moments later the rock is conveniently gone. And how the heck does Totenkopf build a monumental fortress, complete with armies of giant automata and a rocket launch complex, in the inaccessible wastes of Nepal?

What's significant is not that these implausibilities exist in the movie, but that the writer/director flaunts them and demands that you notice. Conran emulates even "flaws" like these from the old movies he evokes, because those flaws arose out of a romantic mindset that he is making every effort to recreate.

On one level, the film is a straightforward story about Joe and Polly and Dex and Totenkopf; but on another and ultimately more important level, it's about nostalgia. Not only nostalgia for old science fiction movies, I think, though Conran clearly delights in them; but even more for the innocence of a world view that made such movies possible. In a way, Sky Captain with its indestructable hero, its moral certainty, and its inhuman, otherworldly menace is more about Iraq and September 11 than it is about monster robots. It's about decisive, cinematic victories instead of messy, real-life quagmires. If your idea of a good movie is one that places complex characters in realistic conflict, go see The Door in the Floor. But if you'd rather suspend disbelief for a couple hours, flying your P-40 into the sunset of a happy ending, check out Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.

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The soft-focused, noir-esque, 1930s-style retrofuture of "Sky Captain" is a visual feast to behold, unabashedly revelling in obvious influences as Lang's "Metropolis" and B-movies of the 1930s. Amid some viewers' complaints of underdeveloped characters and dialogue, here's a movie for those us who truly "get it." Granted, this movie is not for everyone. But quite frankly, it has a lot of balls.

And dirigibles! And exploding dirigibles, at that! And giant robots! And...

But I digress. The Question is: Why should you see this movie? To put it simply, it will be unlike any other movie you've seen recently. I want to see more movies like this. I want to see more movies that take chances.

This is a movie for those who enjoy dirigibles, giant robots, ornithopters, dogfights, Manhattan, searchlights, Gwyneth Paltrow's cute over-bite, "larger than life" heros, the German language, mad scientists, industrial complexes, ray guns, dinosaurs, B-movies, film noir, steampunk, Ridley Scott's Los Angeles, the aforementioned "Metropolis", "The Wizard of Oz", Terry Gilliam's "Brazil", China Mieville's New Crobuzon....The point is that this movie takes you somewhere quite different. "Sky Captain" harkens back to a particular time and particular genre of truly escapist movies. And plus, the exploding dirigibles were just freakin' cool.

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"Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" represents the triumph of style over substance, the P-40 Tomahawk over mechanical monsters, and computer generated actors over death itself. That last part is actually the tip of an ethical iceberg that has the potential of being the biggest point of contention in Hollywood since Ted Turner broke out his box of crayons and started colorizing black & white classic films. But for now we can just enjoy director-writer Kerry Conran's tribute to both the decade and the serials of the 1930s done with enough digital magic to make going over the rainbow seem like an unnecessary journey.

The story begins in a New York City untouched by either the Great Depression or the madness of Hitler's Nazis. But there is still a Teutonic threat beginning to encroach on the civilized world courtesy of the brilliant, mysterious, and apparently evil Dr. Totenkopf (enjoy the surprise). Polly Perkins (Gwyneth Paltrow), an intrepid reporter for "The Chronicle," stumbles upon the first significant clue about the good doctor only to be distracted by the legion of giant killer mechanical men walking down the streets of New York City. In defense of the city comes Joe Sullivan (Jude Law), the Sky Captain himself, whose P-40 Tomahawk with its Flying Tiger teeth has been souped up by his sidekick, Dex Dearborn (Giovanni Ribisi). Of course Polly and Joe had something in the past, so there is a lot of subtext to her backseat driving as they go merrily along.

In the grand tradition of the Saturday morning serial the hero and his gal get on the trail of the bad machines, fueled by Dex being kidnapped by a mysterious Asian woman (Bai Ling) and helped by a few old friends, most notably Franky Cook (Angelina Jolie), the commander of a most unusual British airship. The running gag for the second half of the film is that Polly has only two shots left in her camera and keeps bypassing visual wonders, such as the real Shangri-La, because there could be something better around the corner.

Visually, "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" is a visual treat, filled in the same sort of sepia tones we associate with the first reel of "The Wizard of Oz," a film that is clearly a reference point for Conran. Much is made of the fact that the actors performed in front of a blue screen to which Conrad added all the dazzling images of the mechanical creations in the art deco style of a lot of the architecture we see in the film, all glowing with a blue light. But Law, Paltrow, Jolie and the rest of the cast get credit for playing these roles straight without ever getting too tongue in cheek. This is an earnest homage and not parody, and while the result might not be great cinema it is still as much fun as any of the Saturday morning serials it wants to emulate.

This film wants to be "Raiders of the Lost Ark" for a new generation of filmgoers weaned on computer generated images, but it is not up to that level. The difference can be simply quantified by saying Kerry Conran is not Steven Spielberg, but it would be more worthwhile to point out that in his first film Conran has a much better handle on the cinematic over the dramatic aspects of movie making. His next project is the long awaited adaptation of Edgar Rice Burrough's "A Princess of Mars," with a screenplay by Mark Protosevich ("The Cell"), which should help firm up the dramatic half of the equation. Given the stunning eye candy provided in his debut effort, whatever Conran does in the future will certainly be worth a look.

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Computer generated special effects have been around for quite some time now, and often questionably so, but they come into their own with Kerry Conran's SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW--an innovative film that failed in theatrical release but which now makes a big splash in the home market. And whether you love it or hate it, SKY CAPTAIN is likely to cast a very long shadow indeed.

As a concept, the film seems to be based on the popular serials of the 1930s and 1940s. This is not limited to the use of an improbable plot fueled by special effects and cliffhanger action sequences, but it extends to the dialogue and characters as well, all of which are typical of such celebrated serials as BUCK ROGERS, CAPTAIN MARVEL, SPY SMASHER, and THE CRIMSON GHOST. The film also draws specific plot elements from such diverse sources as KING KONG, LOST HORIZON, THE WIZARD OF OZ, and WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE, to name but a few.

The story is typical of serials. "Girl Reporter" Polly Perkins (Gwyneth Paltrow) is doing a story on missing scientists--and when giant metal robots attack New York she unexpectedly holds a clue to their origin. She and Sky Captain (Jude Law) form an uneasy alliance to get to the bottom of things. With an assist from Sky Captain's faithful sidekick Dex (Giovanni Ribisi) and the disconcertingly military Frankie (Angelina Jolie), the two search the world--and finally track the wicked Dr. Totenkopf (Laurence Olivier, resurrected via CGI) to his secret lair.

The look of the film follows suit. The live cast worked on a blue screen set, and with the exception of a single set, the costumes, and items the live actors had to handle, everything you see on the screen was created in the computer and added after the fact. A great many people have described the look of the film as "deco," an arts movement associated with the 1920s; this is misleading. It would be more accurate to describe it as a mixture of pre-WWII arts movements filtered through a 1950s sensibility, and the result is like nothing so much as a pulp science fiction magazine cover unexpectedly come to life.

Now, how much you like this will depend to a great extent on how clearly you recognize the film styles and specific films that have clearly influenced it. If you know nothing about serials, for example, you are likely to be appalled by the flatness of the script and Paltrow's one-note performance; on the other hand, if you are a serial fan, you'll immediately recognize that the script is reflective of such serials as SPY SMASHER and that Paltrow echoes Linda Sterling, famous for such serials as THE CRIMSON GHOST. It wouldn't be too much to say that in many respects SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW is akin to an inside joke.

But most particularly, your liking for this film will depend on how you react to the visuals. I am not a great fan of CGI when it is used to bolster live action films such as GLADIATOR or TITANIC; I can usually spot the CGI and I find it distracting. But I have to come down in favor of SKY CAPTAIN: this isn't an effort to "make it look real;" this is an effort to make a totally artificial world, and whether it be giant robots, Shangri-La, or Radio City Music Hall the designs are stunning and remarkably well executed. Whatever other shortcomings it may have, SKY CAPTAIN has incredible visual "WOW!"

The DVD release is visually handsome with superior sound, and the package contains a fair number of bonuses. Unfortunately, the two commentary tracks are less interesting than you might expect, but two short documentaries ("Brave New World" and "The Art of the World of Tomorrow") are quite good--and the original six minute short that inspired the film is fascinating. Not every one will get it, so I recommend you rent before you buy, but on the whole this is a show truly worth the money. Recommended.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Cheap I, Robot (Widescreen Edition) (2004)

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This is a pretty good movie, and I was excited to see it in 3D as I have been amazed by some other 3D blurays (Thor, Captain America, Avatar).

Despite the fact that this wasn't "made for 3D", I was hopeful that the 3D reworking would yield some pretty cool results. Unfortunately, I didn't really see much 3D that enhanced the film or made it really worth it to buy a new bluray since I had the dvd (and it isn't a "gotta have" film for me I was interested in it for the 3D feature.

If you don't have the film yet, it is a good addition to your collection. If you love this movie and have the dvd, then sure buy it, but if you just like the film and have the dvd, and are looking to expand your 3D film collection for some cool 3D films, you might wanna spend your money on other 3D discs.

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My first reaction as this film began was "Wait! This isn't Asimov." The Asimov I grew up reading was a weaver of ideas, more mind candy than adventure story. But here I found myself in Will Smith's bedroom, and then suddenly catapulted into a wild chase after a purse grabbing robot. A far cry from the delicacy used by Asimov. It took a while for the shock to wear off but eventually the conflict between Smith's gritty performance as Del Spooner and his original inspiration in the reminiscences of Dr. Susan Calvin (played by Bridget Moynahan) wears off and the view settles into a film that is inspired by Asimov, but does not imitate him.

The sooner that happens, the better, because this is an exceptional film in its own right, even if it does proceed with the speed of a video game. Smith creates a wisecracking character with a deep mistrust of robots. He is called in to to investigate what appears to be an impossible killing robots can't kill humans, it's the first law of robotics. But Dr. Alfred Lanning (James Cromwell) lies dead and the only suspect is 'Sonny' a Series 5 robot with some surprising circuitry (played by Alan Tudyk).

The death is declared a suicide, but Spooner refuses to give in. suddenly the automated world turns on the detective, whose unlikely ally is Dr. Calvin, a robopsychologist responsible for the psyches of masses of robots about to be distributed around the planet. One hair-raising escape after another propels the story along until viewers find themselves at a surprisingly reflective conclusion. Not exactly classical Asimov, but a great story nonetheless.

Will does a good job as Spooner, but he is upstaged by Moynihan's performance. And both are blown away by Tudyk and the animators performance as Sonny. As you watch Sonny develop from being slightly more simpatico than the scenery into a full-blown personality there are countless moments of surprise. Moynihan and Smith do their best, but from the moment Sonny turns to Spooner and says "Thank you... you said someone not something." The film belongs to the robots.

Excellent animation and CGI create a world that is a retro version of the future perhaps exactly what Asimov imagined rather than what we would now. The result is a compelling mix of the outré and the mundane that sticks in the mind just as Sonny's wink does.

This is not just an action film. Threaded through it are the same questions that Asimov raised about the nature of self and intelligence. Robots may never be human, but there are far more than furniture. And if their thought processes are alien, they are more than the sum of their programming. The result is one of the more carefully thought out science fiction films in recent times.

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Amazed to read some others found the 3D conversion suitable on I Robot.

I am using a top of the line blu ray 3D player and a new LG TV and I found I Robot to be a big disappointment and a very bad sign of where 3D (conversion) is headed -studios using the cheaper conversion option and movies having little depth and no pop-out whatsoever.

The funny thing about the I Robot conversion to me was the small on-screen menu that would appear when prompted was the ONLY popout in the whole movie and the sad thing about that is that it immediately and constantly shows you and reminds you of how the movie COULD have been.

I do think the 3D version of I Robot is better than just the bluray experience BUT when you watch other 3D movies like Titanic and Avatar you'll see a day and night difference. At least I sure did.

To all studios: I will be re-thinking future decisions on 3D purchases if this is what you'll be offering us. What I see in I Robot is not worth the $30 pricetag at all. It's an amazing and entertaining technology but you are going to miss your opportunity if this is what you'll be offering us.

Honest reviews on I, Robot (Widescreen Edition) (2004)

I watched this one with my family over the weekend and, quite frankly, had a ball. Yeah, to some extent it's a movie with a message, but mainly it's just plain entertaining. If you try to read too much into it, you'll miss the opportunity for a good old-fashioned sci fi romp.

Fast forward to the year 2035. The monolithic company "U.S. Robotics" has put NS-4 domestic assistant robots into mass production, so much so that they are commonplace "members" of American society. Their artificial intelligence is designed to be as much like humans as possible, but is regulated by the "3 laws" programming that is hardwired into every robot. These laws are: 1. To protect human life above all; 2. To obey human commands except if it would violate law 1; and 3. To protect its own existence unless doing so would violate laws 1 or 2. The laws seem a foolproof way to ensure that the robots would never pose a threat to humanity. But all that changed when the man billed as the father of robotic technology and the 3 laws turns up dead in a very public, and very suspicous, manner, just as the new and improved NS-5 model is about to flood the market. The death is quickly written off by all concerned as a suicide. All except detective Dale Spooner, this is.

Being a good cop and a sharp detective, Spooner (played by Will Smith) in not content that the professor's death was a suicide, and begins investigating with the lead suspect, an NS-5 robot named "Sonny". Sonny's intelligence is so advanced, and his "emotions" so well simulated, that he appears to have something resembling a human soul. Spooner believes that Sonny killed the professor, and sets out to prove it. His (over)zealous approach to the task, coupled with his deep distrust of robots and their manufacturer, quickly lands him in hot water with some powerful people. Some difficult and destructive encounters with the metallic menaces leave him looking like an obsessive paranoiac, and ultimately result in his suspension from the police force.

Spooner continues his chase nonetheless, following a series of clues left by the dead professor, as step by step the mystery begins the unwind. All along the way are some great action sequences, plot twists and one-liners. However, except for Will Smith's character (which is the same as it has been in every film he has done since "Men in Black"), nothing about the story is predictable. When the final shoe drops, most viewers will be pleasantly surprised by the unexpected ending.

All in all, I really enjoyed this movie. It was a wild ride with lots of great sci fi treats and effects. The only downsides were the lack of character development on any signficant level -this is a purely plot-driven movie -and the fact that Will Smith essentially played himself, much as he always does. Still, it's worth seeing. I certainly don't regret the investment of two hours.

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I won't get into a summary of the plot, my opinions on the acting or a comparison to the original movie. All science fiction eventually becomes reality, one just has to read the old Jules Verne novels and most all he predicted has come to pass. Perhaps, with iRobot, Asimov's vision of the future may also come to be reality. Suffice it to say that this film is well done, tense and draws you into a truly popcorn movie. I only review the quality of the Blu Ray disc itself. I do have the Standard Def version as well.

The Standard Def DVD was actually pretty well made; its video and audio were both very good so I do not believe that you will see a night and day difference between the SD DVD and this BluRay.

That said, the BluRay transfer is excellent with no grain or artifacting at all. Granted, you wouldn't expect to see grain in any CGI clip, but there are plenty of scenes that are not wholly CGI and the film retains true skin tones, a very nice contrast and warm color grading. No problems that I can see with the video transfer to Blu Ray which is why I gave it a 5.

The audio transfer is also excellent in lossless DTS HD MA 5.1 and the audio could easily be used for DEMO disc purposes at it utilizes the entire surround system with a great deal of discreet channeling to the rear stage and from front and rear with realistic panning when appropriate. However, as I said for the Standard Def version, its audio was also extremely well edited so the big difference is that this audio, being lossless with a larger bit rate, makes for a more enveloping sound track.

There are extras, a commentary, an alternate ending and CGI renditions of endings as well. If you do not already have a copy of iRobot, despite its age, the film retains sturdy legs and is well worth having in your collection, especially at such an inexpensive cost.

All my movie reviews are of this nature and focus only on the quality of the transfer to BluRay so check them and see if they are of help as well.

Hopefully, this review has been of some help to you in determining your purchase, hope I am on the correct path with a review of the transfer quality as opposed to providing plot summaries.

Thanks

Buy Shark Tale (Widescreen Edition) (2004)

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Oscar (Smith) the fish leads a normal life. He is just an average guy working at the Whale Wash. One day, he wanders into shark territory and is chased by Frankie. Unfortunately for Frankie, the chase ends in his death, not at Oscar's hands, but by pure accident. Oscar sees as an opportunity to "be someone", and quickly takes the credit. The fish world begins to call him the "Shark Slayer", two female fish begin to show their interest, and the shark godfather (DeNiro) makes it his business to find the murderer of Frankie...his son.

"Shark Tale" is yet another animated movie that will appeal to both children and adults. The difference is, this time it almost seems made for adults first and kids second. The most obvious references are to "The Godfather" and "Goodfellas", two movies that no kids should have seen. Also, advertising placement has run amok in this movie. Every way you turn in the city, there are obvious "fake ads" for real products that is very distracting. Most everything in this movie is overkill, in fact.

The voice talents are credible and the animation is good, although I found Oscar to look kind of creepy with his near human-looking face. "Shark Tale" also is nothing like "Finding Nemo", which is both good and bad. Good, because it is not retreading material that is not too old yet. Bad, because "Finding Nemo" was so much better. "Shark Tale" is a decent movie that will be enjoyed by most, and I did laugh a number of times while viewing it, but my advice is to wait for DVD.

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DreamWorks Shark Tale is a one-dimensional film from the shallow end of the CGI animation pool. The usual Shrek-formula mix of contemporary cartoon characters, celebrity voices, and pop culture references come together in a marginally entertaining movie with no bite. Finding Nemo blows this out of the water.

The movie opens with the reef (reminiscent of Times Square) under siege by sharks (Mob types) Oscar, a fish working at the Whale wash (a derivative of the car wash from Blaxploitation classic "Car Wash")dreams of hitting it big and being a big fish. But he's lazy, irresponsible and constantly late for work. His co-worker has to punch him in and cover for him. He owes his boss five thousand clams. He gets the money but decides to bet it on a long shot at the seahorses. Meanwhile, A group of mob sharks (symbolic) are trying to get the son of the Don to "shark up" and eat a fish. They discover Oscar soon after his torture at the hands of jellyfish. A freak accident leads up to the death of one of the sharks and Oscar gets the rep of the "Shark slayer" (I find it odd there's a Mafia in the reef but no police counterpart. A sign of how poorly written this script is.)

In the aftermath there's a boatload of media frenzy; Oscar is a superstar living in a penthouse. But he finds it lonely at the top. He longs for more. His house of cards starts to fall when the sensitive shark comes to Oscar for help. They stage a fight and Oscar pretends to kill him. Later, he helps him find cover as a dolphin. Oscar's girlfriend is kidnapped after his boss picks a fight with the sharks. Oscar and the sensitive shark go to face off with the sharks inside the Titanic. After an antic climatic confrontation, Oscar and the shark confess, and all is forgiven within the reef. In the End Oscar gets his girl, is promoted in his Whale wash job as a partner in the business. ????? Lie, cheat, kill, and still get rewarded in the end because you tell the truth. That's kind of a mixed message to send to kids DreamWorks.

Shark Tale sinks as a movie due to its shallow screenplay. The excessive uses of pop culture references aren't clever here like they are in the Shrek movies. Instead they cover up a weak story with little depth and substance. What's sad is these pop culture references reinforce the worst stereotypes about minorities, women and ethinic groups. Even with a multi-ethnic cast, the entire animated feature comes off like a computer generated blaxploitation film. I wish the writers of Shark Tale had given the characters some of the complexity of their Pixar counterparts from Finding Nemo. The struggles of Nemo and his dad stayed with me long after the movie ended. On top of it, the sharks in that movie were so evil it was scary.

The animation here is well-Meh. Compared to the beautiful 3-D CGI work Pixar did on Finding Nemo Shark Tale's computer animation falls flat. While the art design is very colorful, it lacks depth and dimension. Character movements look and feel artificial; the facial expressions are way too over exaggerated. The reef backgrounds looks and feels about as realistic as a painting or a drawing used in TV 2-D animation; this is far below the standard set in DreamWorks' Shrek movies. I dare to say the hand-drawn animation and backgrounds in DreamWorks early 2-D animated features The Prince of Egypt, Road to El Dorado and Sinbad were richer and more detailed than the ones used in this movie.

Despite the all celebrities the voice over work in this one falls flat. Will Smith just does his Fresh Prince bit here like he does in all his movies. He comes off just like his sitcom character from that stale 90's sitcom. Renee Zellwegger is good as Oscar's best friend and love interest. Jack Black is decent as the sensitive shark. Doug E. Doug is flat as one of the jellyfish. Robert De Nero and Martin Scorsese, and Angelina Jolie, phone it in. Katie Couric has actually done better work on the CBS Evening news.

Pass this toothless Shark tale by. Head to the deep end of the video rack and Pick up Pixar's Finding Nemo. Or get The Incredibles, Toy Story or Toy Story 2. If you want a DreamWorks Movie get The Prince Of Egypt, the Shrek Series. If you have older kids get Road To El Dorado.

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I can't even rationalize giving it 1 star because that implies it got 1/5 of "something" while I can't see that it did anything right, except set up a lucrative platform to launch millions of "fanfare" junk to market to kids i.e. numerous video games, coloring books, clothing, pc software, and soundtracks all appear when typing in Shark Tale on amazon's search.

After watching it with my significant other, we pondered off and on for about 24 hours trying desperately to think of a worse movie that we have seen. Still none have come to mind.

This movie plays off of every stereotype I can think of. The "cool" black guy who raps and dances, the white guy that can't dance or doesn't know any cool hand shakes, the jamaicans that are dumb, the italians that are mobsters, the white chick that is meek....and finally the unintended, me, the viewer that wants to puke. If my kids were subjected to this I would have a lot of explaining to do to dispell all the stereotypes that are maximized in this movie, ok that trivializes what my role of a parent would be if they were subjected to this...if I had taken any kid to see this movie I would have left early, which isn't an easy task with kids.

This movie shamelessly plugged so many consumer products I felt like I was sitting through one big commercial, Gup instead of Gap, Guppy Kremes instead of Kristpy Kremes, Coral Cola instead of Coka Cola to name a few mock products which are obvious advertisements for the real product due to the likeness in trademarks. Way to target that young market, corporate whores!

Also the moral of ths story seemed to be if you screw up about a hundred times, some chick will help you out, then you can screw over that chick about a hundred times, lie to the entire community, and in the end everyone will like you any way and the chick will come back to you if you buy her balloons. EXCELLENT MESSAGE FOR ALL!!

Honest reviews on Shark Tale (Widescreen Edition) (2004)

I agree with those saying this is like a Rap Video set under the sea (in a fantasy world) and starring badly animated fish.

The animation is pretty bad, especially after seeing Pixar films like 'Finding Nemo' or 'The Incredibles' where it's top notch.

There's no story to speak of. It's all so forgettable. It's riddled with every stereotype and cliche you can think of. I can't even imagine what the execs at DreamWorks were thinking when they greenlighted this thing.

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The WORST Animated movie ever made. I sat thru this boring, shallow story hoping it would get better and it just got worse. Bad music, bad story, bad voice talent, over payed voice talent.

The low point of this movie was when CGI fish versions of Missy Eliot and that other chick sang car wash. Hey, it was a WHALE WASH not a car wash.

AVOID this movie. Watch a Pixar movie over and have alot better time. I can't beleive this came from the makers of Shrek which I loved.

Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (Widescreen Edition) Review

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Attack of the Clones continues in the elusive story that The Phantom Menace started. Many claim there is no story, but it's intended to be that way. The Jedi, who are naive to the inner-workings of Palpatine, are in the dark as well as those that view these films. The entire plot will be revealed in Episode III and those that claimed there was no story will be smacking their foreheads and forced to go back and watch Episode I and II. God forbid you take a hint when Episode I is titled "The PHANTOM Menace."

This film is executed almost without flaw. The actions sequences are the best in a film, the comedy is great, and the story is very climactic with many twists along the way. Hayden Christensen is what really makes this film a STAR WARS movie, with his quirky acting style that truly makes him a Star Wars character, something we haven't seen sine Mark Hamill.

A digital Yoda that doesn't look too realistic can't hurt the overall beauty of this film, with some of the best looking scenery ever in a film.

Some of the dialogue will make you groan, but this is as good of a Star Wars as Empire, and definately one of the best fantasy films ever made.

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First, let me say some positives about this DVD:

The image and sound quality are amazing. This DVD is probably the best quality DVD to date. Great for showing off a high quality home theater. Since the movie was shot on digital film, there was almost no ghosting or image quality lost.

Now the negatives:

What made the original Star Wars movies so spectatular was their campy dialog, fake but realistic special effects (even though you knew it was a fake spaceship you still knew it was a picture of a real model). The older Star Wars films were mostly a tribute to the cheesey sci-fi movies of the 50's and 60's. A true space opera, they were classics.

Episode II relies mostly on the impressive special effects to mesmerize and entertain. Acting and story are second to this. The totally cardboard acting of Haeden Christianson is so bad, that it makes you wonder if he should play an emotionally repressed andriod instead of the future Darth Vader. It made me miss Jar Jar.

Oustanding special effects that circumvent the rest of the movie. This movie seems to be made mostly just to fill a quota and to set up the clearly superior episodes 3-6. Makes you sad to see a performer past his prime, and Star Wars is way past its prime.

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Three years ago I hosted a premiere of STAR WARS Episode I THE PHANTOM MENACE in my hometown. I stood in line ten hours for tickets as I gave away free gift certificates, drinks, and food. I then returned a week later to host the Star Wars Showtime Countdown from 10am till midnight. It rained both days (although the meteorologist I worked with said it wouldn't), but it all seemed worth it to finally see a new STAR WARS movie after 17 years. Then Jar Jar Binks popped up! For two hours I continued to wonder when the movie would actually pick up the pace and it never did. I, like many fans, was disappointed and feared what the next two installments would bring. One thing I never did, however, was generate the hatred toward George Lucas that I have witnessed these past three years. In April 1999, he was considered a genius. In May, everyone ganged up on him because they didn't like one movie! Not every idea works and not every project goes to plan. He made the movie the way he wanted and I only wish I had a career where no one could tell me how to do my job. Afterall, he made the first three his way and if someone had butted in, there probably wouldn't have been more than one made in the first place. But, nevertheless, I wasn't too sure about ATTACK OF THE CLONES. Three years later, I am happy to say that STAR WARS is back on track. Although there is still something missing from the days of Han and Luke, George Lucas and company have regained the feel of the original trilogy and put excitement, action, humor, and suspense back into the saga. The love story, although drawn-out, is broken up over a series of fun chases and explosive action that help keep the pace. And, fortunately, Obi-Wan Kenobi helps bring back much of the cocky attitude that has been missing since the departure of Han Solo. If you jumped ship after EPISODE I, I suggest you get back on board for EPISODE II.

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Lucas is on record as saying that he always envisioned Star Wars as a kid's adventure. Fair enough. But the audience base of Star Wars grew up, and they require more substance. I, for one, never had any great sense of what is at stake here, either from the characters or the plot. The effects serve to almost completely overwhelm what little plot exists, and as another reviewer noted Lucas manages to coax even the most accomplished actors into having all the depth of wooden planks from the lumber store.

Just think about it for a moment. If you grew up with Star Wars like I did, we knew long before even "Return of the Jedi" about all the major back-story events that Lucas told us at the time and through the movies. Anakin Skywalker fell to the dark side and became Darth Vader (and fell into a lava pit in a battle with Obi-Wan hence the life-support black armor and helmet). The Old Republic fell during the Clone Wars and the Jedi were all but wiped out as Vader helped hunt down and destroy them. The backstory we dreamed about was a shell waiting to be filled with more details and certainly sounded much more dramatic.

And now, what precisely has the first two films given us in terms us fleshing out the skeletal figure of what we already knew? Jar-Jar Binks soaking up screen time solely for the sake of keeping younger kids entertained? Anakin pilots racing pods as a child? Chase scenes galore? Anakin falls because his mother was killed by Tusken Raiders? Jango Fett was the template for Imperial Stormtroopers (who have the worst aim in cinematic history)? Count Dooku is a bad man who was once Yoda's student?

It's like we still have the open-ended backstory, and we're watching all the points being connected with seriously underdeveloped filler that slathers on special effects. Where is the cake under all this frosting? Sorry, Mr. Lucas, when I grew up my taste buds learned that eating just the frosting was missing most of the dessert.

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A film by George Lucas

"Attack of the Clones" takes place ten years after the events of "The Phantom Menace". Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) is an Apprentice in the Jedi order and is studying under Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor). When Senator Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman) from Naboo barely survives an assassination attempt, Kenobi and Skywalker are assigned by the Jedi Council to protect her and eventually to look into who is trying to have her killed. This sets the events of the film into motion.

Senator Amidala intended on speaking out against the Republic raising an army. There has been unrest in the Republic and thousands of star systems have already left the Republic and have formed an Alliance under a former Jedi named Count Dooku (Christopher Lee). The army would be to help the Jedi keep the peace in the galaxy, but many do not feel it is the role of the Republic to have a standing army. I do not give this background information to bore, but rather because this is the set-up that the movie is presenting us with.

Anakin and Obi-Wan are able to track a subsequent attempt on Padme's life to a bounty hunter. Obi-Wan follows the trail of the bounty hunter to a planet where he discovers there is a clone army being created, apparently at the orders of a Jedi ten years ago. He also meets the bounty hunter who is being used as the stock for the clones: Jango Fett (Temuera Morrison). Kenobi believes that Fett is also the Bounty Hunter who was trying to kill Padme Amidala. We also get to see the child: Boba Fett.

While Obi-Wan is investigating the bounty hunter and now the clones, Anakin has been instructed to return Padme to Naboo for safety reasons. It is during this trip that romance blossoms. There is a courtship, intense on Anakin's part, and our knowledge of the original trilogy tells us how it is going to end.

This movie serves to set up several important points in the Star Wars universe. We see the relationship between Anakin and Padme which will eventually provide us with Luke and Leia. We see Anakin begin his descent into the Dark Side and also have him start to become as much machine as human (as Vader is in the Original Trilogy), and we also see how Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) gains so much power as well as the clone army, which is the precursor to the Imperial Stormtroopers.

Is this movie perfect? By no means. Much of the dialogue feels stilted and awkward, and I can only imagine how difficult it is to act against a blue screen because the creatures will only be digitally added later. Still, this was an enjoyable movie with excellent effects and more of a feel of "Star Wars". Besides, there is a certain sense of justice in Jar Jar Binks (Ahmed Best) being indirectly responsible for the rise of the Empire. This is a science fiction "Star Wars" movie. We're not going to get classic cinema, but we will get a fun trip to the movies.

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First off, I am amused by all the people who try to dissect this film saying how thin the plot is, how cheesy the characters are, and how bad the special effects are. Its based on a comic book people! Not to mention a comic that is over 40 years old! I challenge anyone to read the '60s comics and say that they're NOT the cheesiest thing they've ever read. This comic was as generic as generic can be. Just look at the names of the characters: Mr. Fantastic, The Invisible Woman, The Human Torch, The Thing, Dr. Doom. Not very creative.

Not very creative, but very fun. It captured the imagination of people back then and after 40 YEARS it has turned these characters into beloved icons. That's where I think people are being unfair to this movie. They're expecting all 40 years of character development into 1 hr. and 45 minutes worth of film. It's a beginning, an origin. We see how these characters know each other, how they attain their powers, and how they choose to deal with them at a very early stage. Do we see the intensity of their relationships, the bonds that unite them so strongly? Not so much. But they've just come together. They've just formed the team. They need time. Which is, again, what 40 years of comics give them that 1 movie can't.

I've always looked at The Fantastic Four as cheesy or goofy. From their names to their powers (Reed's stretching for example) to the situations they're put into. And yet, its still fun. From The Thing and Torch's banter, Reed and Sue as husband and wife, and the overall family atmosphere between all four of them.

So to me, this film lives up to all of that. Unlike recent comic book films (Batman, Spider-man, X-men, Hulk), it doens't take itself too seriously. It reminds us that comic books are fun and so is this movie. I've heard people say that this film doesn't live up to the "iconic" characters that are The Fantastic Four. Well, I say it took years for these characters to become "iconic" and that if you read the first 10 issues or so of the comic book, nobody would be praising it these days. So just let the movie be itself and entertain people, which I believe it does very well.

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I'll be honest...this movie doesn't need an "extended cut" version...sure it's a fine movie, but most of you already have an acceptable version of it, and an extra 20 minutes of footage is fine, but to most of us, not quite enough to justify buying an entire other DVD version of it...

So WHY am I reviewing this version of the DVD as a 5-star "MUST BUY" version? SOLELY because the "extras" DVD has a feature reflecting and honoring JACK "KING" KIRBY, the man/legend who co-created the entire Marvel universe (among other superheroes), with Stan Lee, but got almost NONE of the credit (or money) that Stan did...

KIRBY was a creative FORCE for both Marvel and DC comics over his lifetime career, and not only was he the world's greatest comic book creator and artist, but an amazingly warm, wonderful person, family man, and treated his fans as if they were close friends...never in the world was a man more deserving of a documentary than Kirby was, and while it should've been included in the original release, this feature alone is WELL worth watching and well worth as well the cost of buying this DVD...you will NOT be disappointed by watching the KIRBY documentary...he WELL deserves this honor, and it's VERY interesting for comic fans and non comic fans alike...

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I missed the Fantastic Four, aka FF in the theatres and as any self-respecting Marvel comic fan, had to watch the DVD in spite of the mixed reviews I'd heard.

The good news is: the movie is watchable. It's not perfect, and I still rate the X-men and the Incredibles ahead of this. The effects are well crafted, and much thought has been put into the visual approach.

What else is good about this: Great casting of Von Doom (Julian McMahon of Nip/Tuck) and Chris Evans as the Human Torch. Jessica Alba looks great too.

What could have been better: This entire film was more like an introduction to the Four rather than a complete movie experience. Sometimes feels like a TV show. Since a sequel is in the works, we'll just have to wait.

Weak Chink for me: Mr Fantastic is pretty average. And Dr Doom's origins are less compelling than the real comic book Dr Doom.

As some reviews say above, the Fantastic Four isn't about characterisations, and yet, one feels that the chemistry of the four could've been tweaked up a notch instead of falling back purely on the comic book landscape / approach of simple characters. After all, the Fantastic Four became "the world's greatest comic" simply BECAUSE the characterisations were complex and unique, and the characters each had strong identities. This is ignored a bit in favour of an Irwin Allen "Land of the Giants" TV feel. Meaning: these are not epic characters on the level of the X-men.

Dr Doom's development was somewhat of a disappointment. While I enjoyed how the new scriptwriters have incorporated him in a more contemporary and intelligent way I wish that the original character could've been respected. The mystery and dark foreboding of the original Dr Doom was on a level that inspired characters like Darth Vader. Doom's comic book legacy deserved better.

The Human Torch however, is excellent. Never my favourite character, he nonetheless comes alive in every way in the film. Flame on!

The DVD itself is chock full of extras which I'm still wading thru. 3.5 stars for the film; 4.5 for the DVD packaging.

There's more to come...a pretty good start.

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Films based on comic books are a bit of a mixed bag. While never my favorite genre, the stakes have been raised in recent years. With sophisticated outings such as "Batman Begins", "X-Men 2", and "Spiderman 2" and "Superman Returns", it seems that we've ushered in an age of comic book adaptations as art. These films surprised me and entertained me (as any movie should), but also utilized real drama, intelligence and adult sensibilities--often with great performances and smart, logical scripts. Even graphic novels have become a popular source for serious minded films.

So "The Fantastic Four" is a throwback. Far from sophisticated, it plays as a live action cartoon. That might be OK, but the more pressing problem is that it's not particularly fun either. I know a lot of people feel that "The Incredibles" borrowed heavily from "The Fantastic Four" concept, and maybe so. But at least on film "The Incredibles" was rousing entertainment. Maybe the film "Fantastic Four" should have taken that cue.

I won't blame the actors. I actually like many of them (in other roles). It's a lackluster, sloppy script. The filmmakers never really cared about this subject and it shows. First and foremost, they wanted a commercial film to play to a mass audience--kiddies included. And I can imagine small children getting a few chuckles from The Human Torch and The Thing. Their interactions, after all, are the equivalent of junior high taunting. But it's just not funny enough, the effects aren't original enough, and it sure lacks a brain. Put the small kids in front of it--it's harmless enough, but you probably don't want to invest your time with "The Fantastic Four". KGHarris, 10/06.

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I've been reading a lot of reviews of this movie (from pros & average joes), and a lot of people are crapping on it....I really don't get it.

Going in to see this movie I was expecting the worst...like Batman & Robin bad....however I was pleasantly surprised. It's not Spider-man 2 great, but it is on par with the first X-men (i.e. movie could have been longer and the ending "bigger", but the potential for a superior sequel is there)

FF is definitely more lighter & comedic than other super-hero movies...and it should be. The FF has never been dark & brooding...it's always been about a slightly disfunctional family with super-powers.

The one issue I had with this film was the editing...the transistion from some scenes seems very choppy...i get the sense that a lot was left on the cutting room floor to quicken the pace of the movie. Hopefully, a extended cut DVD version will be offered with those scenes placed back and the movie should flow better.