The plot is simple. An asteroid falling to earth carries within it a host of phantom creatures that seem hell bent on destroying earthly life. Civilization has been reduced to living in shielded enclaves, and it is only a matter of time before the planet becomes a haunted wasteland. Aki Ross and her mentor, Dr. Sid, are working on the creation of a neutralizing 'wave' based on the eight basic phantom life forms. General Hein does not trust Dr. Sid's...
So much potential, but wasted...
There have been many reviews about this movie that have ranged from excellent to shoddy, but mine will fall in the middle for a couple of reasons I will get to. I'll tell you what I found cool and what I found to be lacking. First off, I saw this movie in a digital projection theater. The colors were mind-blowing to say the least. I was constantly losing track of the story because I couldn't take my focus off the spectacular animation. The animation is so rich and textured...let's just say that you have never seen anything like it-real or fabricated. It truly is amazing. The voice casting is perfect. No slackers anywhere. The idea for the story is very innovative, not just some traditional sci-fi retread. But (and there always is a but), the actual dialogue and character development are lacking. Baldwin sometimes seems like a romantic distraction for Ming Na. Is Woods' character supposed to be a sympathetic bad guy because he talks about his family before he commits his bad deeds...
An under-appreciated, and totally underrated movie
One of the best computer generated films I have ever seen. Final Fantasy - the Spirits Within was a joy to watch.
It was exciting, funny, poignant, exciting, romantic, joyful, future hopeful and totally mesmerising from start to finish.
With great actors voicing the animated heroes, we are treated to a state of the art adventure in which earth has been decimated by alien phantoms and the only hope for the survival of the human race are eight earth bound energy-spirits that can stop what only be described as Armageddon.
The exquisite Dr Aki Ross along with cynical but mostly good hearted Captain Edwards and his band of disparate marines set out to find these spirits before the megalomaniac General Hein can ruin any chance Earth has for survival.
The graphics are absolutely stunning, the animated characters look so life like you find yourself doing a double take all the time. Aki Ross is especially life like and Captain Edwards positively...
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Schwarzenegger stars as Dr. Alex Hesse, a biochemist doing research on a revolutionary new wonder drug that eliminates miscarriages. Helping him to develop "Expectane" is Dr. Larry Arbogast (Danny DeVito), an obstetrician and fertility doctor. Their project is jeopardized, though, when the FDA refuses to give them approval. The university cuts off their funding, kicks them out and turns their lab over to Dr. Diana Reddin (Emma Thompson).
Fearing the loss of a potential fortune, Arbogast convinces Alex to test the drug on...
Lots of Laughs
At first I really didn't want to see this movie but was forced into it,much like Alex Hesse (schwarzenegger) was talked into doing an illegal scientific experiment on himself by his collegue Larry Arbogast (DeVito).
Alex has invented a wonderful new drug to help women who tend to have miscarriages.After the FDA won't approve expectane and the university kicks him out of their lab Alex decides to move back to europe.Larry talks him into doing an experiment on himself so that they can get funding for more research.And after they get enough data they'll end it and noone will ever know.
But the problem is Alex gets attatched to his unborn baby and continues taking the expectane without Larry knowing,of course he eventually does find out and aggrees to help him.
Along the way though Alex falls in love with Dr. Diana Reddin (Thompson) and she has a key role in the movie so pay attention in the resturant scene.
I don't understand why so many people didn't enjoy this film.Maybe it's...
Ivan Reitman's study of inversion
Without question, an under-rated, subversive, classic farce, and a study of total inversion. Examples of the latter include
Arnold - the Last Action Hero becomes a sensitive "Mommy"?
Danny DeVito - usually plays the heavy; now plays the major sympathetic role in the movie
Emma Thompson - takes a break from the Shakespeare in favor of physical comedy
As many other reviewers have stated, this movie is also a realistic and side-splitting look at pregnancy.
The subversion is its underlying pro-life theme: "My body, my choice", inverted. This is so politically incorrect that I often wonder how Reitman got away with it.
To the Aussies who reviewed this a while back: What the hell were you expecting? A Predator sequel, maybe? Yeah, I remember when I had my first beer.....
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The plot is about Detective John Hobbes (Denzel Washington), who has just captured serial killer Edgar Reese (Elias Koteas). Before Reese is executed, he speaks to Hobbes in a strange language and tells him a riddle, asking him why there's a space between Lyons and Spakowsky. Hobbes doesn't think much of this and watches silently as Reese is executed in the gas chamber.
The next day, another murder occurs, and Hobbes and his partner Jonesy (John Goodman) check it out. To his shock, Hobbes finds the same riddle Reese told him scrawled on the wall of the victim's apartment. Unraveling...
Fallen - A classic in the psychological thriller genre!
Simply put, "Fallen" is a pure classic in the psychological thriller genre! Very few films in this genre that attempt such status actually ever achieve as successfully as this film does. From the very beginning of this film to the end it is an intense, script and character driven silver screen masterpiece. One of the most interesting aspects of this film is that it can be watched over and over again, given time in between viewings, and one can pick up different things every time, making it that much better.
Performance wise, Denzel Washington delivers one of his most powerful and memorable performances in this fine film. Of course, over the years he's proven himself to be one of Hollywood's finest in that very few films of his are less than spectacular. This particular role for him almost engenders the aura that it was specifically written with him in mind as the lead. John Goodman's performance is right on par with his usual style of acting, making the film that...
Very, Very Creepy
This gets good marks simply because it is such an interesting, involving story that hooks you right away and every time you watch it and doesn't overwhelm you with violence and gore.
Denzel Washington is appealing as always as the good guy and John Goodman is surprisingly low-key for most of the movie. All the characters are very interesting and the special effects are creepy. The story is pure "Hollywood theology" mean also means the characters - include the heroes - in here have no clue about God or the purpose of life.
The DVD provides excellent entertainment. The visuals are decent on this disc and sound-effects are chilling in spots. As the demon sees through the eyes of people and passes by with these "whoosh" sounds, it's very effective. As mentioned, the film doesn't need a lot of violence to succeed with it's horror-type tale.
One note about the final scene. if you get confused, you aren't alone. Maybe I'm not too bright because it took me a...
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Before war breaks out Korczak has already achieved much notoriety. His voice is heard by millions on his radio show and he is recognized in the street by both Poles and Germans alike as a progressive minded humanitarian. He is also a doctor who runs an orphanage for Jewish children and in the opening scenes we hear him on his radio program as he tells just how much his childen mean to him. As soon as the political climate within Poland changes however the doctors program is cancelled and before long the doctor along with his 200 children are marched toward the Warsaw Ghetto. At first the doctor believes the war will be a short one and he confronts the Germans and shames them for their mistreatment of the...
Unforgettable Movie
I saw this movie with a friend in the summer of 1992 at an art theater in St. Louis and went back the next and final night to see it again. It was a gripping, beautiful portrayal of a fantastic story. I have never forgotten this film and was thrilled to find it listed here on Amazon. I cannot recommend this movie enough.
A mirror image to the Pianist
Possible spoiler herein...
Better than the Pianist? Tough call, but yes in many ways. Polanski is definitely better cinematically, but Wayda, from Holland's script, renders human relations more finely. Probably its biggest weakness is the choppiness between plot lines. For me, the Poles definitely lead the way on cinematic treatment of the Holocaust.
Szpilman was aloof, and Korczak fully engaged, and their trajectories diverge. Korczak was a world renowned orphanage director and pediatrician, whose radio show was massively popular among all Poles before the War. This meant he was given every chance to escape safely, and walk away from his hundreds of Jewish orphans in the Jewish ghetto; but, instead, his absolute devotion to giving his orphans some semblance of childhood drove him to "deal with the devil himself." On the other hand he knows that the children will have to deal with death at an early age, and he is committed to giving them appropriate comfort and emotional...
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