LivingDog

I cannot say it any more succinctly than "daveygandthekeyboard" did. So I am quoting his entire review. Below I add one comment which I think makes this the perfect review of this "just okay" "blockbuster"??

-QUOTE- Implausible action scenes kill this movie 2 June 2008 | by daveygandthekeyboard (United States)

All I can really conclude about this movie is that it was just okay. I can forgive the ludicrous plot, the cheesy "family" dynamic of the film, the fact that Harrison Ford is old (which is really nowhere near the worst part of this). I don't even really mind Shia LaBeouf's presence. But many of the stunts and the action scenes are so implausible that it renders all of the action scenes implausible. For example, Shia LaBoeuf sword-fighting (!) spread-eagled on two moving vehicles; a boat going over not one, not two, but three waterfalls with absolutely no one getting a scratch (I mean, what are we watching here, The A-Team?); and the "if the film hasn't jumped the shark yet it certainly has now" moment--Shia LaBoeuf swinging through the jungle a la Tarzan. It was ridiculous. And because these parts are (forgive my overuse of the word) implausible, it highlights the fact that the rest of it doesn't work, either. After seeing a number of old series trying to come back for another run (Rocky Balboa, Rambo, the Star Wars Prequels) I have concluded that when filmmakers attempt to cash in on a once-popular series, artistically the best they can hope for is to break even. Sometimes there really is nowhere to go but down. I wanted to love this, but the most charitable thing I can say is that it was just okay. Very disappointing. -END-QUOTE-

I would add only one thing - the filmmakers should be specified as only American. The key is in the cash. They want more profit. Amazingly, they get it. This made 115 million in profit. No wonder they aren't discouraged to keep making these fiascoes.

First let me say that the supporting actors are all very talented - but it's not apparent here. (In my opinion, that's the director's fault.) Kristen Bell, while I can see can be likable in a romantic comedy, acted here as if this was a late afternoon soap opera. However, the one shining star in this non-romantic non-comedy is Duhamel. Even though the script is weak, the production just OK, the acting below par, Duhamel stands out for his talent. Watch this only if you're a big fan of his.

-LD

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my faith: http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/jbc33/

Hasbro hit a grand slam put out of the park home run with this _non-stop_ action adventure. It's hard to describe this one for me since everything is so tightly done. So I will say it anyway if "perfect" doesn't say it clearly - perfect acting, perfect script, perfect action, perfect timing, perfect flashbacks, perfect music, perfect quips, perfect production, perfect story, perfect editing, perfect cgi, perfect direction, perfect seriousness balanced by perfect humor, perfect fun, and perfectly entertaining. So "perfect."

-LD

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my faith: http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/jbc33/