Linda Lee

This film has just been shown on TV on a Bank Holiday morning in the UK, and I think for that sort of occasion, it was just about right! Rather bland, nothing to frighten the children - an undemanding way to pass 90 minutes or so. I actually enjoyed it, though of course I was aware of the complete absurdity of the premise that the stream of meteorites constantly targeted this one small town in the back of beyond! I retain quite a fondness for Tom Wopat from watching Dukes of Hazzard all those years ago (I still like John Schneider too!). I loved Pato Hoffman as the native-American sheriff - what a gorgeous man, and his rapid healing must make him a very useful guy to have around - crushed leg one minute, barely limping the next! The teenagers were all much too pretty but no worse than your average disaster movie teens. All the 'scientific' bits were extremely low-tech, but then we've all been spoilt by the high-budget disaster films of recent years. Fairly dire script, but they did their best with it. Reasonably explosive SFX. Some very silly bits - loved the tabloid journalist getting his comeuppance!! All-in-all, quite watchable and really not as bad as some of these comments make it out to be! It didn't make any claims to be more than it was, and not every film made can win prizes, you know.

I saw this with a (female) friend today - there were only 6 people in the cinema! I think we laughed out loud more than the others - not sure why, because I spent a lot of time cringing and hiding my eyes as Bridget was made to behave like a complete clown. There is far more 'pratfall' comedy in this film (skydiving, skiing) than in the first one and IMHO it is overdone. Also, Bridget's habit of bursting into Mark's important meetings with international colleagues and suffering an attack of verbal diarrhoea gets more irritating and less endearing as the film progresses.

I think Rene Zellweger's English accent is excellent - she and Gwyneth Paltrow obviously studied together! Hugh Grant is improving with age; a few laughter lines (okay, wrinkles!) add a lot of character to that pretty face. Colin Firth is - of course! - gorgeous, but lacks warmth; he came over as SO reserved this time that I wanted to yell, 'Oh, get on with it, man!' Jim Broadbent and Gemma Jones were good again, and Neil Pearson too, but all were underused; Shirley Henderson sounds just like her Moaning Myrtle character and I kept looking for Harry Potter whenever she was on screen.

I'm glad that I went to see this film, but I doubt I will buy it on video. It lacks the charm and spontaneity of the first film. I do hope they aren't planning a second sequel...