Right brain: "thumbs down"
Left brain: "thumbs down"
Wait for the video.
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Boy, I feel really bad. I suggested that Stephen go see the
movie. I'm really sorry to have wasted his time.
I can't disagree with his review, the themes are trite, the
dialogue is sometimes forced, the effects are pretty good.
There is a bald faced deus ex machina right in the middle
of the movie, which I know will offend some people's
sense of plausibility.
I suppose the only comment I have is that a popular movie
of that sort isn't directed to such a haute audience. It's
kind of a passion play...communicating memes to a mass
and probably less sophisticated audience. I liked the
memes, or the implicit message, if you will.
I don't recommend it by the standards Stephen
evaluated it by, either. High art it ain't.
By the same standards, however, Star Wars also sucked.
Broad epics of this sort are always going to fall down
before that kind of deconstruction...it isn't their purpose
to paint with anything but a broad brush.
I recommend it to someone looking for a little fantasy,
but I agree with Stephen: if you see it you should leave
your analytical eye at the door if you can, becuase it
doesn't satisfy.
Actually, I'd recommend seeing it in the theater if at all.
On a TV screen, a movie's power over your sensorium is
diminished...and this will make it even harder to
suspend disbelief.
Stephen: would you recommend people take children
to see it, say 12 or so? Or do you think it's message
also isn't worth it?
Maybe I just like it becuase, for once, it portrays scientists
like they were real human beings and not either mad
scientists or robotic dorks...at the same time it reveals a
little of the politics and the eccentricies surrounding
scientific endeavour.
It's a "feel good" movie, for me, anyway.
Reed
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Reed Konsler konsler@ascat.harvard.edu
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