This is another sad case of promising beginning, meeting with a horrible conclusion.
Well, watching this with your friends will most probably end you up in a MST3K screening. I experienced that. Yes, this movie is bad, and what's worse, I went in with low expectations. I wanted to like this movie, really I did. Sadly, it went the other way. Indiana Jones may breathe easy, as this unintentional laugh fest makes Vin Diesel's career floundering.
The acting is mostly weak. Vin Diesel is Vin Diesel, no different than that of his previous films (if you can excuse "The Pacifier" and "Find Me Guilty"). He still tries his best to act, but to no avail as the film keeps sinking to new depths. Michelle Yeoh's case is similar to that of Diesel: both are action stars who seem lost in this cinematic wreck. Their eyes bear a dawning moment of realization that they are in this movie. A bad one at that. Melanie Therry is nothing more that eye candy, as her central plot device is wasted by the film's end. That having said, she does pull a convincing performance, but that's all. Gerard Depardieu is embarrassing to watch as a crime lord, why the hell would he mark a long absence to mainstream cinema with this crap? But the real hammy is Charlotte Rampling. My. God. She really hams it up with that queen motherb*tch of hers. Really, what was she thinking? The direction, if there is any, is empty. Obviously there was a feud between director Mathieu Kassovitz and Twentieth Century Fox, if so you know. There are scenes in which you can tell the direction has no heart and the characters are just boring and flat. And the action sequences, some are laughable (American secret agents with monkey king abilities), some are impressive, some are flat, some are ripped-off, and it morphs into one big mess. Although the cinematography and directing is good, the editing and overall synopsis of the film are disgraceful. No wonder Kassovitz disowned the film.
The story seems like it was ripped off from the masterful Children of Men, and they mashed it up with another forgotten cheap action film, Cyborg, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. The screenplay is even worse, with laughable dialog in parts. The costume design must also be criticized. Really, biker thugs who look like The Green Goblin Quadbike Fan Club. Or, said American secret agent wearing the power logo you can find on your PC. What the ****? And if it's set in a post or pre- apocalyptic world, than I would not mind, as the living conditions are favorable (this wasn't shown until near the end of the film). What's up with that? Product placement is funny as hell. New York City becomes Corporate World, where every skyscraper and sidewalk (and in one occasion airliner) has a giant advertisement/commercial. Yes, it's true. Only the special effects are good, they are impressive, for a US$ 60 million dollar film. But they're wasted here.
Honestly, I thought this was worse than "Star Wars: The Clone Wars". Vin better step up with that Fast and Furious movie on the works, which could very well be his key to reviving his career. As for this film, if it had a director's cut I would give it a chance, but unless you want a MST3K experience with buddies, avoid this like the plague.
Overall quality: 2/10
Well, watching this with your friends will most probably end you up in a MST3K screening. I experienced that. Yes, this movie is bad, and what's worse, I went in with low expectations. I wanted to like this movie, really I did. Sadly, it went the other way. Indiana Jones may breathe easy, as this unintentional laugh fest makes Vin Diesel's career floundering.
The acting is mostly weak. Vin Diesel is Vin Diesel, no different than that of his previous films (if you can excuse "The Pacifier" and "Find Me Guilty"). He still tries his best to act, but to no avail as the film keeps sinking to new depths. Michelle Yeoh's case is similar to that of Diesel: both are action stars who seem lost in this cinematic wreck. Their eyes bear a dawning moment of realization that they are in this movie. A bad one at that. Melanie Therry is nothing more that eye candy, as her central plot device is wasted by the film's end. That having said, she does pull a convincing performance, but that's all. Gerard Depardieu is embarrassing to watch as a crime lord, why the hell would he mark a long absence to mainstream cinema with this crap? But the real hammy is Charlotte Rampling. My. God. She really hams it up with that queen motherb*tch of hers. Really, what was she thinking? The direction, if there is any, is empty. Obviously there was a feud between director Mathieu Kassovitz and Twentieth Century Fox, if so you know. There are scenes in which you can tell the direction has no heart and the characters are just boring and flat. And the action sequences, some are laughable (American secret agents with monkey king abilities), some are impressive, some are flat, some are ripped-off, and it morphs into one big mess. Although the cinematography and directing is good, the editing and overall synopsis of the film are disgraceful. No wonder Kassovitz disowned the film.
The story seems like it was ripped off from the masterful Children of Men, and they mashed it up with another forgotten cheap action film, Cyborg, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. The screenplay is even worse, with laughable dialog in parts. The costume design must also be criticized. Really, biker thugs who look like The Green Goblin Quadbike Fan Club. Or, said American secret agent wearing the power logo you can find on your PC. What the ****? And if it's set in a post or pre- apocalyptic world, than I would not mind, as the living conditions are favorable (this wasn't shown until near the end of the film). What's up with that? Product placement is funny as hell. New York City becomes Corporate World, where every skyscraper and sidewalk (and in one occasion airliner) has a giant advertisement/commercial. Yes, it's true. Only the special effects are good, they are impressive, for a US$ 60 million dollar film. But they're wasted here.
Honestly, I thought this was worse than "Star Wars: The Clone Wars". Vin better step up with that Fast and Furious movie on the works, which could very well be his key to reviving his career. As for this film, if it had a director's cut I would give it a chance, but unless you want a MST3K experience with buddies, avoid this like the plague.
Overall quality: 2/10