BobStein-VisiBone

No amount of progress in CGI facial expressions can make up for an unimaginative story and a clumsy script. A better screenwriter could have done so much more with this premise. As it stands, this is just another example for film class on an over-reliance of technique over substance.

It was impressive to see a vaguely chimpanzee face make human expressions. There are lots of micro-expressions and nuances a human viewer could appreciate. They clearly worked very hard at it. They are clearly very proud of it. But after a while the movie seemed like a demo-reel for those wizards. It is no surprise that the extras go straight into a facial CGI documentary slash fundraiser.

The dialog is trite and uninspired. And this just draws attention to how far the art has to go. The uncanny valley is wide. We have not crossed o'er. The walking, running, fighting, falling, are all still campy and cartoonish. If it only told a good story then maybe this movie would not be unwatchable in another ten years.

Big disappointment. Compared to Ahhrnold's version, this remake had 100x the effects budget, 0.01x the writing budget. A full 20% of the script lines contained or consisted of "C'mon."

Excellent ideas and effects though, wowwee. Elevator between UK and Australia is visually brilliant and interesting. No one on set grasped more than a 4th grade level of geology and physics, but hey, it's still fun.

Colin Farrell, hang a WTF sign around his neck, and you could trim 75% of his camera time. Jessica Biel is underutilized. As is Bryan Cranston.

And oh the lovely Kate Beckinsale. She's the difference between 2 star and 3 star, though I'm not sure in which direction. Let's see, cop, ex-wife, corrupt, gorgeous, ruthless, slavish to the main villain, salon hair. Pick two, or four at the outside, but never saddle her with all seven. Dude that's just rude.

Starts out very entertaining with the ideas and great visual effects but waxes maudlin often. Sloppy pacing, hasty parts interleaved with lazy parts are jarring. Besides the viewer wanting to yell "get moving" it just seems as if the director and crew filmed some parts after coffee, and others after having a huge carb-heavy lunch and skipped their nap.

Why does the dialog hurt? It's not only painful to watch soldiers standing idle while the battle isn't finish, but they're listening to a self-righteous, sappy speech from a middle-school play. Independence Day was maudlin and middle-school simplistic too, but that story had a backbone. This story could be summarized in 20 seconds. And half of that would be "like Independence Day but less cool". Overused, loud, pushy orchestral score.