First off, this is definitely a B movie. It's got a fair few problems, but I like it nonetheless.
The negative: It drags quite a bit in the middle, and the plot is as full of holes as a Swiss cheese. It's one of those "don't think about it too hard" issues, because under real scrutiny it falls apart. Fridge Logic is not this movie's friend. Some of the acting is also dubious, particularly Dennis Quaid, who apparently decided to om nom nom the scenery for breakfast every day. Plenty of Narm, too.
The positive: I personally found the visuals themselves effective. Not, for the most part, the special effects, but the setting, lighting, and cinematography really worked for me. The cinematography was nothing special, but I found it created a nice atmosphere. Claustrophobia even in the middle of nowhere. There was also some Narm Charm, most of it unwitting, which somehow made it a bit more charming. Paul Bettany was obviously having the time of his life, too. Sandra pissed me off to no end, but that was the entire point, and her Kick The Dog moment oddly made me rather more fond of Audrey than I suspected I would be.
And of course there's the faceoff between Gabriel and Michael. Nice choreography, and it looked like it really hurt like hell, no pun intended. Unfortunately, the ending was a little too open and unsatisfying for my taste, but I'm not really surprised.
Basically, it's a bad movie that nonetheless has its charm — entirely unintentional charm. It's hilarious in places it really shouldn't be, somewhat cringe-worthy in others, but it had enough decent bits to keep me interested. Take it for what it is and it can prove rather entertaining.
Guilty Pleasure
First off, this is definitely a B movie. It's got a fair few problems, but I like it nonetheless.
The negative: It drags quite a bit in the middle, and the plot is as full of holes as a Swiss cheese. It's one of those "don't think about it too hard" issues, because under real scrutiny it falls apart. Fridge Logic is not this movie's friend. Some of the acting is also dubious, particularly Dennis Quaid, who apparently decided to om nom nom the scenery for breakfast every day. Plenty of Narm, too.
The positive: I personally found the visuals themselves effective. Not, for the most part, the special effects, but the setting, lighting, and cinematography really worked for me. The cinematography was nothing special, but I found it created a nice atmosphere. Claustrophobia even in the middle of nowhere. There was also some Narm Charm, most of it unwitting, which somehow made it a bit more charming. Paul Bettany was obviously having the time of his life, too. Sandra pissed me off to no end, but that was the entire point, and her Kick The Dog moment oddly made me rather more fond of Audrey than I suspected I would be.
And of course there's the faceoff between Gabriel and Michael. Nice choreography, and it looked like it really hurt like hell, no pun intended. Unfortunately, the ending was a little too open and unsatisfying for my taste, but I'm not really surprised.
Basically, it's a bad movie that nonetheless has its charm — entirely unintentional charm. It's hilarious in places it really shouldn't be, somewhat cringe-worthy in others, but it had enough decent bits to keep me interested. Take it for what it is and it can prove rather entertaining.