Have you seen the trailer for this film??? Then forget about reading my review or anybody else's for that matter! It doesn't take 2 brain cells rubbing together to know what you are going to get here, and you get PLENTY of it! This was not a typical movie choice for me (my guy's turn to choose), but I had some idea what to expect and I think you do too. Having said that, here is a BIG SURPRISE - this was one of the MOST FUN, simply enjoyable movies I have seen in months, maybe a couple of years!!! This film is wonderfully unpretentious. It doesn't take itself too seriously, and we shouldn't either. Does XXX provide deep intellectual insights, an elegantly constructed production with soul-searching performances, an air-tight plot with masterful dialog, gritty realism, completely true-to-life action scenes, brilliant editing? Although the answer is obvious (in case you haven't seen the trailer, the answer is NO), a much better question is, WHO CARES?! This movie is all about fun! Crazy, mind-blowing, awesome (and in some cases,of course, obviously impossible) extreme stunts! Diesel is charismatic and charming, the girl is sexy and engaging and the bad guy is appropriately nuts. The plot is good enough. The way they take out a communications tower doesn't make much sense, but otherwise we'd miss out on another amazing stunt scene so once again, who cares! (Hey, check out 'Signs', a supposed new masterpiece by a supposed great director, if you want to see a film that really makes no sense!) There's some humor and a few decent one-liners, too. One of the Bond spoofs is even smartly hilarious (a car stuffed Bond-style with gadgets that end up being virtually useless). The way this film is NOT extreme is also refreshing. There is just basic shoot-em-up and action stuff - no extreme violence/gore, no extreme profanity, no extreme sexual content, and no extremely 'important' artistic message. In other words, nothing to detract from the great fun of a fast-paced, amazing stunt-fest that is light, refreshing, and visually awesome. The perfect summer action flick!
Reviews
2 Reviews
Signs
(2002)
THE TRADEMARK TWIST? UNSUSPECTING AUDIENCE DUPED BY SHYAMALAN
12 August 2002
Warning: Spoilers
SPOILER: THE TRUE PLOT/STORYLINE - OTHERWISE NO SPECIFIC DETAILS
The only twist here is that this movie was marketed as a scary mystery involving the origin of crop circles and aliens but has very little to do with either. If you are in the mood for a tired old plot with heavy-handed (some might even say nonsensical) religious messages rehashed with the prospect of aliens/crop circles featured basically as a 'hook', AND you don't expect the characters to speak or act realistically, AND a logical plot is not terribly important, then you probably won't have too much of a problem with this film. But that is not the film I expected to see. My strongest, and totally unexpected, reaction to this film was ANGER! I don't mind seeing a bad film, one that just doesn't pull things off, or is the sad product of people with little talent or imagination. But this is personal! Shyamalan's previous surprises have been revelatory and thought provoking. With 'Signs', Shyamalan has demonstrated an appalling lack of respect for his audience and apparently has no ethical qualms about using them to make a buck or to force-feed them his viewpoint, whichever is the motivation. The audience here is just being duped, manipulated and ripped off. If you happen to like the end message, that's fine, no problem. However, please
understand that it is STILL a 'bait and switch'. The fact that someone might like the cheap, shoddy and unimaginative 'substitute' instead of the shiny new product they were enticed into the store (theatre) with, doesn't change the fact that a rip-off took place. All you really get is one of the oldest movie plots in history - man has faith, man suffers a loss, man loses faith, something 'miraculous' happens, man gets faith back. AND we are manipulated into seeing it, paying money and giving up 2 hours of our life that we'll never get back, by false advertising. No offense to any spiritual believers, but if I wanted to see a movie with a supposedly 'uplifting' religious message, I can think of a LOT better ones than this to watch. Yes, there was a good bit of genuine humor and a few very suspenseful moments. I was suspending disbelief and really enjoying the humor and suspense (even though very contrived) up to a point. The problem was that almost from the start the whole thing was marred with implausibilities in plot, dialogue, and character's behavior that just kept adding up until they inevitably made it difficult to enjoy the film even on a superficial level. Even so, I held out hope until the end. My reward? The big finale was just stupid, period. I can only assume the much-anticipated trademark 'twist' is, in reality, simply that many people will be suckered into paying to see a film they otherwise wouldn't have watched and won't enjoy. View at your own risk!
The only twist here is that this movie was marketed as a scary mystery involving the origin of crop circles and aliens but has very little to do with either. If you are in the mood for a tired old plot with heavy-handed (some might even say nonsensical) religious messages rehashed with the prospect of aliens/crop circles featured basically as a 'hook', AND you don't expect the characters to speak or act realistically, AND a logical plot is not terribly important, then you probably won't have too much of a problem with this film. But that is not the film I expected to see. My strongest, and totally unexpected, reaction to this film was ANGER! I don't mind seeing a bad film, one that just doesn't pull things off, or is the sad product of people with little talent or imagination. But this is personal! Shyamalan's previous surprises have been revelatory and thought provoking. With 'Signs', Shyamalan has demonstrated an appalling lack of respect for his audience and apparently has no ethical qualms about using them to make a buck or to force-feed them his viewpoint, whichever is the motivation. The audience here is just being duped, manipulated and ripped off. If you happen to like the end message, that's fine, no problem. However, please
understand that it is STILL a 'bait and switch'. The fact that someone might like the cheap, shoddy and unimaginative 'substitute' instead of the shiny new product they were enticed into the store (theatre) with, doesn't change the fact that a rip-off took place. All you really get is one of the oldest movie plots in history - man has faith, man suffers a loss, man loses faith, something 'miraculous' happens, man gets faith back. AND we are manipulated into seeing it, paying money and giving up 2 hours of our life that we'll never get back, by false advertising. No offense to any spiritual believers, but if I wanted to see a movie with a supposedly 'uplifting' religious message, I can think of a LOT better ones than this to watch. Yes, there was a good bit of genuine humor and a few very suspenseful moments. I was suspending disbelief and really enjoying the humor and suspense (even though very contrived) up to a point. The problem was that almost from the start the whole thing was marred with implausibilities in plot, dialogue, and character's behavior that just kept adding up until they inevitably made it difficult to enjoy the film even on a superficial level. Even so, I held out hope until the end. My reward? The big finale was just stupid, period. I can only assume the much-anticipated trademark 'twist' is, in reality, simply that many people will be suckered into paying to see a film they otherwise wouldn't have watched and won't enjoy. View at your own risk!
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