Yes I admit, even though the trailers were’nt very impressive, I was still looking forward to the latest in Roland Emrich’s How-To-Destroy-New York City series of movies (Independence Day, Godzilla and now TDAT make a sort of unofficial trilogy!).
But alas, disappointment was eminent. Everything about last nights premiere (@ Mercato, Dubai) was a disaster. First off, the movie did’nt start at 8:00pm as advertised, but at 9:00pm! The chaos at the cinema was followed by the longest two hours I’ve ever spent inside a movie theatre!
TDAT relies too heavily on CGI. Basic ’’Do Not’s’’ from the directors handbook will tell you that CGI should never over shadow the true heart of any film, a little something called ’’the script’’. Obviously, Emrich never read the book.
Almost every other scene ends with a panoramic shot (matte painting artists must have made a killing on this movie!) of a destroyed NYC skyline. And this happens like every 10 minutes! Great acting talents the likes of Denis Quaid and Ian Holm are totally wasted here.
Roland Emrich did a great job with Star Gate, Independence Day and yes, even Godzilla. The Patriot though, in my opinion, was a terrible movie. What made ID:4 stand out and become one of the biggest box-office hits of all time? Good actors like Jeff Goldblum, Will Smith, Bill Pullman a cheesy yet interestingly wacky, fast paced script, and highly entertaining & memorable characters. Everything TDAT lacks.
At one point, my friend and I were even thinking of walking out becuse it was just so boring. Luckily, the movie ended 15 minutes later!
Anyways, here’s my take on TDAT:
Story (& Direction): 2/5
Wha...? There was one? Storm of catastrophic proportions is going to destroy most of the worlds northern hemisphere by creating the next ’’Ice Age’’, work-aholic-never-had-time-to-be-a-good-dad father wants to make things good by rescueing his son... Ok, thats the first 30 minutes, after that Emrich just seems to have given over the reigns to the guys at ILM. Really sad, since the concept had possibilities...
Visual Effects: 2/5
So ironic that for a movie that depends so heavily on CGI, it was the CGI that eventually killed it. The effects were unbelieveable - Not ’’unbelieveable’’ as in ’’Cool!’’ but as in unrealistic, non-dramatic and down right cartoonish! I know games on PS2 which have better CGI! The NYC skyline & harbour, the tornado’s in LA, the wolves-attack secene, the helicopters over Scotland, the NYC-roof top evac scene towrads the end, etc. were text book examples of stale, been-there-done-that CGI. Anyone who’s watched a handfull of Sci-Fi movies in the last 5 years will be easily able to tell the matte painting backgrounds apart from the live-action bits. Compared to The LOTR’s in terms of revolutionary CGI, TDAT has some of the most out-dated, Star Wars-esque (prequels) CGI I’ve ever seen.
Acting: 2/5
If there was an Oscar for everytime an actor had to open their mouth and stare at the camera in awe, then we’ve got an entire cast of practically unknowns here who would win hands down! D. Quaid & I. Holm, sorry, but you guys must have been really desperate to sign-up for this movie. On top of that, next to zero character development... But then this is practically a ’’Directors Trademark’’ in this case.
Dialouge: 1/5
Some of the cheesiest I’ve ever heard. It was like dialouge from a Hindi movie! Cliched one-liners, stero-types, etc. I think Emrich must have spent all of 15 minutes (or less) writing the dialouge for the entire movie!
Verdict: Skip it!
p.s. Instead, buy the LOTR’s: RoTK DVD, switch off the lights, turn up your amps, and watch the greatest CGI battle sequences ever filmed in the history of cinema.