I recently went to see the movie "The Island", a movie that contains about 60 straight minutes of action. However, all the chasing and stuff blowing up was meaningless, and hence, uninteresting (see my review). "Stealth", on the other hand, actually had a plot, albeit of the pulp military thriller novel variety, but nevertheless a story you can follow. This movie was critically panned more than "The Island", but I was more entertained by far with this film.
First of all, the flying effects sequences are like playing a high quality video game. Since I don't play video games, this was a fun ride. In fact, I was taken aback somewhat at how many intensely complex effects shots there were in this film. Along with it, virtually everything in sight is blown up. Blown up real good. Yes, it is possible to blow things up with a certain amount of creativity and originality. You could possibly be reminded of "Apocalypse Now" with the size and amount of fireballs riddled throughout.
Oh yeah, characters. Well, the only real name you recognise is Jamie Foxx. Obviously cast before his success with "Ray", he is actually a pretty minor character. There is competent acting, but this movie isn't about Academy Award performances. The story, as one critic characterised it, is a live action version of "Team America". Enough countries are invaded and attacked to start World War III, (but then again, all good things come in threes). You are not expected to buy any of the implausible details of the film. If you are capable of not exercising your mind too much in a situation like this, you can accept that most of the big thrills in this film were probably thought up first, and then a story built around it. But that means you are not side-tracked with much of any dumb fluff (save a completely uneventful visit to Thailand).
So, in comparison to Michael Bay, Rob Cohen is up to par, and maybe even exceeds with a slightly more entertaining product. You certainly could do far worse.
