Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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43 of 52 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Better Than I Thought, 29 Mar 2009
If you view this film as a reimagining rather than an actual remake you will probably enjoy it a lot more. I would say this is the best thing Keanu Reeves has done since the Matrix. His robotic style of acting is perfectly suited to a modern interpretation of what a visiting alien might be like. His scenes with the child are actually quite touching and when I took my two boys to see it, they both told me that "they liked that alien guy".
Waiting for Gort's wrath to manifest itself is exactly that, a bit of a wait and John Cleese does his acting CV little good with a fairly bizarre performance. The special effects are pretty good and when compared to a nonsense fest like Independence Day this is actually quite good.
The original is far better but I dont think this version deserved the mauling its had from here, there and everywhere. I quite enoyed it and would imagine it will look stunning on Blue Ray.
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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
HMmmmmmmmmm, 16 Jun 2009
Well, I did see the original many many moons ago and to be honest I can't remember a fat lot about it, so I didn't mind watching this remake as I didn't really have anything to compare. There was a BIG continuity mistake though you won't realise this until the "alien" gets his face plastered all over the TV, I won't go into details for those who haven't seen it but for those who have, remember right at the begining that bloke on the mountain? Enough said. It wasn't a bad film, the Americans as usual in these situations was kill first ask questions later, it was VERY moralistic (Global warming etc)and basically not one I'd want to sit and watch again. And my BIGGEST disappointment with this film was the classic line "Gort Klaatu barada nikto" wasn't in it!!! So the upshot is... if you feel the need to watch it, do. If you're not sure DON'T.
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34 of 48 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
The day the CGI stood still, 22 April 2009
First off I'm not a fan of the original whining about how a classic has been destroyed. The original had some standout moments but was, overall, a bit of a bore.
Here the same set-up is followed with Keanu Reeves pottering around the Mountains in India, being taken and returned by an alien sphere that later returns,(this time to central park), and out pops a Reeves clone all ready to start the countdown to the apocalypse. Into this is thrown Jennifer connellys 'scientist' who at first befriends him but, once she learns his mission, is horrified and tries to stop him. She runs around with her 'moppet' haired step son who is a general pain in the butt. Lots of running around and then a hurried and frankly pretty obscure ending.
Dark and moody? Nah dull and cheap more like it. The middle section holds out some hope of a cool alien and a sombre message but of course Hollywood is only interested in cash so everything is sold down the river to get a 12 certificate and kerching those tills!
The real problem here is the truly horrendous CGI and some of the biggest clangers and lazy writing ever seen on a cinema screen. Roads are closed and security around the sphere is locked down tight but when the scientists arrive all suited up and wander in on their own they are eventually joined by a rag tag group of soldiers and NYPD squad cars with everybody talking twaddle and general mayhem. The budget was so tight that real helicopters could not be used and so we have them CGI'd, badly, changing size, shape and colour as they fly through one another and magically land without moving the leaves on the ground around them. The eventual release of the planet killer see's it eat trucks, roads and buildings in it's path but incredibly leave pylons unscathed. The scene of Reeves being 'interrogated' is hilarious as he sits with 2 stupid bits of curly wire slapped to his head while being interviewed in a sort of saturday night live style parody of the Matrix. Incredibly, considering he is a newly arrived alien scaring the pants of everyone, the interviewer is on his own and no one else is watching what is going on!
Apparently the army can build a 50 foot steel self locking tower to capture the giant robot that appears from the orb along with a giant elevator beneath central park to transport it below ground to a ready made lab in order to test it in just 1 day! They can't drill through the robots shell but miraculously someone claims they have carried out a PET scan!
Continuity laziness and graphics tat aside what really drops this into the file marked 'burn' are the actors. Connelly looks embarrassed, Reeves is just his usual dull character, we have John Cleese turn up half way through, talk rubbish for five minutes and then disappear again without a trace. Worst of all this films sins though is the decision that, in an effort to win over the brat cash, with 10 minutes left to go Connelleys step son suddenly becomes the major character and gets to bore us all to sleep with his lousy acting and poor dialogue.
This could have been a really strong and poignant movie but instead is just rubbish. It is so bad that it could have becomes the 21st century's answer to 'plan 9 from outer space' but is such an obvious cash in and so completely devoid of any charm that it can't even manage that.
One of the worst films I have ever seen.
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