Reviews

After reading the comments here on IMDb, I decided to track this pilot down. Hurray for file sharing!. The editing, direction and pacing of the pilot make SG1 look rather lethargic. The characterizations are really quite well developed for a pilot show. This really hits the ground running and doesn't let up until the end. The battle scene is really impressive for a TV show, the burning plane is a nice touch. There are a couple of minor things that could have been handled better, but it all flies by at such a pace that you really don't have time(excuse the pun) to dwell on it. Overall, this is one hell of a ride and a superior update to the 60's original. Kudos to the production company. I'm baffled as to why this wasn't picked up.

Being English, I have a natural disposition to avoid foreign language films, because reading subtitles is a bit of a chore and I'm sure I'm missing out on some of the finer nuances of the dialogue. Nevertheless, after seeing this movie, I almost want to learn German so I can go back and watch this movie without having to worry about subtitles. Not since Europa Europa and Das Boot have I been so impressed with the depth and scope of film making as I have been after Downfall(Der Untergang). Bruno Ganz' performance is just mesmerising and I, like others have said, really did start to believe that Ganz really was Hitler. Support cast were top notch as well. Unmissable. Some may have noticed Rolf Kanies(General der Infanterie Hans Krebs) also appeared in the German-Canadian scifi, Lexx as President Reginald J. Priest.

What? a John Woo movie without white doves & motorcycles in slo-mo? What's going on? Since these two images seem to appear in nearly every JW movie as a token nod to subtlety, no wonder this film falls flat. Although the premise of the film is an interesting one, the dialogue and pacing in the quieter scenes lacks subtlety. The patriotic overtones had me half wanting to reach for the sick bag, half wanting to stand up and salute"God bless America!!", ho ho ho.

The action scenes, where Mr Woo usually shines, although well portrayed, are spoiled by some rather dodgy John Wayne GI-Joe type heroicisms. Funny that the character played Nicholas Cage is named Joe. Mr Woo should perhaps go and watch the first half hour of Saving Private Ryan to see how it ought to be done. No, on second thoughts, he should watch all of it. All in all, it all a little too heavy handed.

Has anyone here considered just how implausible the basic premise of this movie actually is? The bugs on the Klendathu home world are knocking asteroids out of orbit and sending them hurtling light years away to impact on planet Earth. Hmmm, those rocks would have to have been traveling for thousands of years to reach Earth. That would require them to accurately calculate the position of Earth and the solar system in the heavens, thousands of years in advance, shoot a few off, and then, um, wait. And wait. And wait some more....(millennia passes...) Perhaps these bugs just don't have anything better to do than wait a couple of thousand years to start an interstellar war. Other than that, if you don't think too hard(preferably not at all), then this is a fairly enjoyable action movie.

After B5 finished, I wondered how JMS & co could top that show. Well, Crusades duly came along and it did just that. We should all bow down and pay homage to JMS for bringing us shows of this calibre. I could lament at what a tragedy it was that this series was killed off so quickly. Thing is, it wouldn't be the first time and most likely won't be the last that near sighted studio execs("the suits") will scuttle a show with such great promise. Think back to the original Star Trek, Battle Star Galactica and Logan's Run. All cancelled before there time. Such great promise, so little faith. Out of all the shows that I've mentioned, only Trek was resurrected. Even that took 10 years of badgering by the fans for a feature film to be made and after a further 7 years, we finally got TNG. The trouble with anything thats got the scifi tag is that it will always be regarded as niche and will be seen as a somewhat more risky venture than something more mainstream. This doesn't bode well for a resurrection of Crusades. It would be great to be able to get Crusades on DVD. We can only hope the WB will do the decent thing. Such great promise, so little faith....

Let's get something straight, I've got nothing against long films, but the source material must justify the the length of the film.

Hitchcock, Spielberg, Kubrick and now even Jackson; they all respect(or respected) the above principle. They all managed to get the pacing just right, but Mr Minghella commits the same crime over and over again. Yes, the acting is great. Yes, the production values are high. Yes, the cinematography is wonderful, but there lies the problem. Every shot lingers for longer than absolutely neccessary as if to say, "look people, isn't the cinematography lovely?". Well, it is, but the net result of this is that we get a film that has all the pace of a dead snail. His movies always feel like an 9 minute extended mix of a 3 minute pop song.

Lets review the running times of his movies: English Patient : 160 minutes Cold Mountain : 155 minutes Talented Mr Ripley : 139 minutes All these movies could benefit by having around 20 minutes removing from them, and I guarantee, you would not be able to put your finger on what, if anything was missing, except for that pain you get in your rear end when you get up at the end of the movie and leave the cinema(if you managed to stay awake, that is). Now, I challenge you Mr Minghella, to make a movie with a running time of under 120 minutes. Lets pick the pace up a little, please?