Walking into the Maya cinemas downtown with my parents earlier tonight I thought, “This movie will be O.K. Least I’m out of the house on a Friday night.” Half an hour before the movie was to start and the theater was almost full. By the time trailers started the lower ground seats were full as well because they were all that was left.
I am known for liking “bad movies” around my circle of friends. Waterworld, Speed Racer, Aeon Flux, Terminator 3 just to name a few. Going into this, everyone told me it was going to be really bad. I wonder if that added to my enjoyment. I thought it was really great.
The beginning setup felt a lot like The Core with having to explain why there is a geological disaster occuring on the planet. Right after, however, the movie becomes a real ride where these people are put in such impossible situations, but conveniently manage to slip by unharmed.
The action sequences are intense patterned by scenes of humanity/politics/touchy-feely moments. The comedic parts were few and done very appropriately to sligtly cut the tension of the situation at hand. A lot of these are predictable but executed in a believable manner that adheres to the characters’ stories. Nothing was ever too funny or too sad. I thought they were done well.
This also applies to the effects rendering. Some is done really well while other shots are just plain lazy. You can tell what the studio spent time on and what they skimped on. This made for reactions of “Ugggh! How aweful did THAT look?” and “Ohh shiiiiiit. O.o”
This is one ofthose movies that should have been a summer blockbuster. It felt a lot like Armaggeddon and Independence Day in that it was a global event that brought flawed people together to become heroes to save mankind. It was a good feeling. Kina what I think the movies should feel like.
I left very satisfied. Go see 2012 on a big screen.