Coronado

Well I was at Blockbuster looking for something to fill part of my Saturday and ran across this one stating the effects were from the team of Independence Day. That was the draw, and I just finished watching it.

Kristin Dattilo is the redeeming factor in this and I would like to see more of her, so I logged in here to see what else has has done. But as mentioned, that film is not a great piece of work. It is a good Saturday afternoon movie and not a waste of time.

The story line is a bit weak, but I was not looking for an in depth film, and I did laugh a few times. It is nice to see a woman as the action hero, granted this is not a Laura Croft movie, but it was worth the $4.

A good action adventure yarn which pays homage to many predecessors including "Sorcerer", "Romancing the Stone", and the Indiana Jones trilogy.

What is even better though are the special features on the CD which explain and show how such a low budget film ($4.7 million) was able to be created using a number of camera and cg tricks. The best... the bridge scene. While this video uses a number of partially computer generated scenes, these are very seamless to the viewer, who is left to enjoy a predictable, but exciting story. What I really enjoyed was what they used in many shots instead of a regular jeep.

Coronado is a movie that has a very good balance of adventure, humor, and action. Actors I have not seen before were impressive in their roles, unlike the plastic Hollywood Shakespeareans demanding their closeups. The lead heroine, Kristin Dattilo, played an excellent role throughout the movie in both comedy barbs and more serious portrayals. I would like to see more of her work in the future as her talent in Coronado was the catalyst in making a fair script into an entertaining movie most arm-chair warriors relish. If you enjoy special effects as I do in adventure movies you are in for a treat. From a perilous bridge crossing to a remodeling of the Presidential Palace, special effects was formidable indeed. Watch the movie and enjoy the fun.

There's absolutely nothing original in Coronado, the acting is average at best the script could use a serious polish but somehow it remains fun. The obvious comparisons to this film are the likes of Romancing the Stone and Sahara. But comparisons fail to take into account that Coronado was made on a 10th of the budget of Sahara which itself was no great film.

They've managed to squeeze quite a lot into the film for $4.7million and there is a bridge sequence which works really well. It's just a shame they didn't have more money to get some beter quality actors add a bit more to the script. The story is very predictable with a few twists and turns added it would have been far superior.

Fun on a budget, nothing original but if you loved Romancing the Stone you'll get some enjoyment out of this. 6/10

I bought this film off the bargain shelf. Which is just where it belonged. The story line (is there a story line in here?) has our frantic Blonde, Clair, chasing from the perfect surprise weekend in Switzerland to the dry dusty and sometimes tropical banana republic of Coronado. All because her boyfriend lied to her when he said he was going on a business trip to Switzerland. And once in Coronado, Clair becomes the centerpiece of a revolution. Sort of a low Budget "Romancing the Stone". It is not great, it is not really good, but it fun. My 13 year old daughter loves it. The film is campy, so get out your sleeping bag, make some popcorn and enjoy a good B grade adventure flick.