Reviews

I'm surprised at the number of top ratings this move has scored here.

It was the ratings that drew me in but both my partner and I gave up at the halfway mark before we became diabetic. Every improbable cliche and schmaltzy scenario in the book. From the actions of the 'farming' family who acted like they wouldn't have enough sense to tend a backyard garden to the frightfully decent army officers. And the lack of sense from the family probably goes for the entire village that turns up in pouring rain to watch the brainiac son ploughing the rocks in a field. Would have thought that clearing the surface rockery would have been a good start, not to mention maybe spending more than the families entire fortune on a horse more suitable for the job. Germans with English accents and seemingly mainly bloodless battle scenes sunk the credibility. Though maybe Spielberg had his eye on a young Disney audience. Disappointing.

Given it a two as it's so bad from all aspects that it's fun to watch. Problem is the movie takes itself far too seriously which is a shame. The soundtrack is totally unsuited to the action and the dialogue may be just ok for a script from a school play. Good fun to watch the brilliant scientist Farge or Farj or Fart or whatever running around with a deep fry chip basket on his head and wearing a pair of what looked like plastic welding goggles. Have to remember that if we ever get invaded by extra-terrestrials. The boss of whom was known as 'Master of the Moon'. (which conjured up visions of a bloke who'd perfected the art of 'down trou') Very colourful in his flowing robes, Shakespearean delivery and protected by flabby looking guards. Props and scenery were less than budget. The silent but deadly ray guns amounted to basically switching on a torch. While the bumble bee striped lift (elevator) looked to be there for the main pupose of giving the totally ineffectual factory guards somewhere to run in and out of like scenes from a Benny Hill episode. The Hero's vintage car had an engine that could be heard in the next county, though he insisted on continuously 'sneaking' up to the very edge of the alien patrolled factory in it. His love interest Lee looked rather unusual even before the aliens got to her and I was hoping the blonde 'Plan B' love interest at the service station was going to put in more of an appearnce. The whole plot got even more bizarre when the Master of the Moon was assured co-operation and assistance from the citizens of Earth...Yeah right. Stick to Cornwall and maybe just don't land somewhere like say, Texas.

Oh dear. Surely so many fake reviews to give the IMDB rating score that it has! I've given it a 1 to help with the balance but it probably maybe deserves a 3 for the scenery. The acting was not good. More expression was needed in the delivery from the actors. Good on the two kids for scoring a part in a movie but they need to do more than just take turns at reading lines. Any special affects were weak at best and the story line left great gaps in how this disaster occurred. The ending was confusing and the behaviour of the characters unrealistic. The arrival of the soldier (sniper?) promised the arrival of at least some interesting action but the promised sadly petered out. Remarkable how everyone's clothing remained pristine and the whole sequence of scenes were just a bit too sanitary and convenient for a world in chaos. And here's a tip for anyone who has a lifesaving battery driven electronic gadget... make sure you've always got some spare batteries.

Afraid I gave up on this movie before the end. The constant wisecracking and tough talking of the actors became tedious and 'forced'. It was like they were desperately trying to portray stereotype cartoon gangster dialogue with every sentence they uttered. The totally unrealistic results of the beatings Gabriel Byrne received enforced the cartoon feeling. Being pounded in the head and body and thrown down a couple of flights of stairs would put anyone either in the morgue, hospital or out of action for weeks - Byrne's character can take all this and appear hours later with not a mark on him! Credability out the door! The machine gunning scene where Finney deals to his would be assasin was comical. Limitless ammo and the 'assasin' stands there upright doing a tap dance and waving his arms around whilst a mag load is emptied into him.

Why can't TV directors get their basic research right when they're portraying the military! UK servicemen and women do not go around saluting whilst capless. Add to the mix every pc scenario you can think of, lesbian vicars, gay bishops, downtrodden refugees, sexually harassed females etc. And of course in current TV form the lead investigator has to be female. Seems the UK police force must have a shortage of male officers if BBC crime dramas are anything to go by. I also don't think a killer who was so very meticulous in protecting themselves forensically and supposedly well trained would then leave an incriminating cartridge behind at the scene.

Gets one star for the scenery. Terrible acting. Fight scenes that were laughable. Plot lines and the actions of the cast were ridiculous. Those that were bludgeoned, shot or stabbed bounce back to life with more regularity than zombies. The scene towards the end has the blonde girl searching and wandering through a house in slow motion where the 'baddie' could come back at any time. If this was supposed to create tension it failed miserably and like the other actions in the movie made no sense at all. The pub barman was as unwelcoming and likeable as a dose of the flu. Which probably could be said for the entire cast. Not recommended viewing.

No idea how this movie gets such a high rating. Must surely be votes from cast or friends of cast. The 'hero' is some kind of superman who survives beatings, bone crunching traps, falling trees, submersion in freezing water, fights and falls. All this over several days and only eating a few ants and a bit of bark. Seems he's impervious to frostbite, injury and starvation. The Americans are portrayed as undisciplined juvenile amateurs. I wonder what actual members of the military would make of this movie. The plot becomes tedious very quickly. Give it a shot if you don't mind wasting time or shaking your head in disbelief.

Drawn out, confusing and I think maybe an attempt at 'artiness'?

The background music was discordant and annoying and as another has commented, the plot is so jumbled and piecemeal that there is no chance of suspense building. Just when you think something is going to happen in a sequence that makes sense it quickly switches to a totally irrelevant scene. It was as if the entire movie was a mass of unrelated scenes just cobbled together. Lasted about halfway in and then gave up. None of the characters appealed. I enjoy a movie that makes you think but unfortunately this one just wasted viewing time.

This was an excellent production that kept my interest from start to finish. The acting and all the characters were spot on and believable. There were some violent scenes in places but they were well done and I thought necessary for the plot development. The locations were made the most of too and added to the interest of the movie.

The only goof I detected was towards the end of the movie where Tom returns a salute. If he was ex British army he would not have saluted palm down - that being the navy salute. A minor fault.

I didn't recognise any of the cast but they all did a top job. Can only recommend as an entertaining and gripping watch.

Not sure how all the high ratings came about. I gave up on the movie about halfway in. Tedious and boring with the lead character seemingly only capable of speaking in a monotone. The number of scenes where he droned on about not getting enough out of life and talking about leaving the island had me wishing he would just pack his bag and leave the damn island - he wasn't the only one who needed a change of scenery by then. The interaction between him and his father seemed contrived, with first one having an elongated solo outburst or monologue and then the other. Even the fisherman's home somehow didn't quite suit. It was more like the dwelling of a suburban city office couple. I also doubted whether a knife dug out of the sand and lapped by the tide would still have so much obvious blood remaining on the blade after several days. Gave it 2 stars for the scenery shots.

Really enjoyed this movie which had me laughing out loud a few times. The acting was very good and everyone looked the part including the Maggie! Much of this was filmed on location in Islay and two separate ships were used in the filming. The Scottish coastal scenery enhanced the movie and the black and white filming set the era. A couple of comments made by posters that the accents were difficult to understand. I didn't find them difficult at all and the Highland lilts as well as the Gaelic speaking scenes added to the charm of the movie. Altogether a gentle and humorous film that passed the time well. Recommended.

The two stars are for the central Otago scenery. Unfortunately the plot and minimilist script gets nothing. Not sure what the movie was trying to achieve but the affect strayed far from realism with its loooong silent pauses and scenes going absolutely nowhere - would have helped if many of them had hit the cutting room floor. The two actors may have been good but this movie does not give them the chance to show it unless spending most of the time standing or sitting staring with no dialogue and a dismal expression counts. I stuck it out until the end hoping something interesting would happen but not to be.

Enjoyed this thriller though maybe for the wrong reasons. The plot was engaging enough but seemed to evolve slowly into a 'Carry on' type hospital farce with characters running hither and thither intertwined with a moustachioed and inept villain (all that was missing was a black cloak) along with a romantic and tasty night nurse. Very entertaining though and I found that the unintentional humour just added to the enjoyment.

Some of the patients seemed a bit too perky to be laid up in an emergency ward but their acting was good even if it was more suited to a comedy. Lots of improbable scenes but still worth a watch!

Formula plot with unrealistic scenarios. Average to below average acting with no likeable characters. The mother (Rhonda Dent) is actually only 3yrs older than her supposed 18yr old daughter (Kristina Paras) and it showed.

Totally unrealistic scenes such as the mother being allowed to wander all over an active murder scene stepping around the forensics team and handling everything in sight as she wanted to call by and feed the victim's cat!

For someone who was so bonded and obsessed with her daughter, it took her an unnaturally long time to enquire after her daughter's welfare when she (the mother) finally gained consciousness in hospital.

Laughable ending.

Can't understand the high ratings.

Overall a good film, though the constant griping by 'Smudge' could get tiresome. The locations and equipment were realistic enough. Though I wonder would you get a patrol made up of such a mix of regiments? (Para, Marine, TA) The accuracy of the supply drop in hostile territory didn't quite ring true with such a miss made in clear, still conditions. Sound quality came and went a bit at times and with the slang used would probably make it difficult for non Brit's to understand what was being said or meant at times. The writer was obviously making a statement about the quality of equipment that was supplied to front line Brit troops and I believe this was actually the case at the time when compared to the US units. Worth a watch though and a step up from 'gung ho' portrayals of combat.

This movie kept my attention throughout. Jessie Buckley was particularly good in the portrayal of her troubled character. The development of the plot was subtle with some unexpected but feasible shifts. Although the story was not at all the same, by the end of the movie I couldn't help thinking of Fred & Rose West and how dangerous it can be if two troubled people gravitate unreservedly together. Excellent acting and scenery.