Coronado

I'd compare this film to the made-for-TV movies by TNT titled, "The Librarian" (Quest for the Spear, etc). Like that series this movie contains:

• Relatively unknown actors; often nonsensical plot twists; cheesy dialogue; and out-of-place, over-the-top special effects.

Yet somehow, like the Librarian TV-movies, it had enough entertainment value to keep me sticking around to see it to its end. Granted I have no plans to ever watch it again, but to see a movie of this budget produce the effects it did made me glad I watched it.

If you are expecting blockbuster quality steer clear you will be very disappointed, but if you can accept it as more of a campy made-for-TV type movie and understand it only cost 5$M give it a peek.. you might just be impressed too.

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.

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

Claire Winslow (Kristin Dattilo) finds that her fiancé has just traveled to Switzerland, but forgot some important documents at home. She decides to take the documents, follow and spend Christmas with him. Once in Switzerland, she realizes that he has indeed traveled to Coronado, a country in Central America. She travels to Coronado and gets involved with a revolution.

I saw "Coronado" this weekend and this movie is so silly that becomes funny. The absurd story is supported by the unknown Kristin Dattilo, who has a great performance: she is very beautiful, athletic and funny. The special effects are great, and the surprising conclusion is hilarious. In the end, it was a worthwhile forgettable entertainment recommended for killing time .My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Coronado"

I feel compelled to write a review as I think that 'Coronado' represents everything that is wrong with cinema today: form over content. While viewers are forewarned that CGI will be omnipresent ('by the visual effects supervisors of Independence Day' proclaims the poster), I think that there should have been a warning at the beginning of the movie: "This is a movie to showcase our digital art, so please do not try to follow the plot, as we have made it mind numbingly dumb on purpose". With this warning, I would not have spent the entire 1.5 hour shaking my head in disbelief and trying to fathom how anybody in their right mind would agree to finance such a project.

The movie is an endless string of clichés, bad lines, and unbearable Hollywood-only situations. It is an insult to viewer's intelligence, and I can only hope that the 'creators' realized that they have failed to entertain us, if that was their goal. It is not worth watching, by any standard.