First off, a tiny bit about me. 1) I took my daughters (13 & 10) to this movie. 2) I tend to enjoy children's movies and I love SciFi. 3) My wife & I mostly agreed about the quality of this movie. 4) I've never rated a movie before.
Although I agree with many points from the first posting, I do think this movie *had* promise. It seems to me that if all characters were developed properly, that the screenplay had been more carefully thought out, that the technical filming of the show had gone better (boom mic!), that there was cohesiveness to the whole story, and that the actual plot had been more fully developed that this movie could have been spectacular. I was even willing to accept the story line until the kids were mysteriously found dutifully waiting in their room when they were supposed to be hiding. After that, it went downhill quickly for me.
I would have liked to see more exemplary development of the kids' powers -- the kind of foreshadowing that is later revealed in how they save the day (ie. A scene of Summer controlling the paint balls would have helped me believe better her focused power use in the end). Why spend all that time watching Cindy throw ton-weights at a target? How did Dylan's ability with the apple help in the end? What did they do with Tucker to help him learn to control his bloating? How is "mind sight" related to invisibility? Don't even get me started on Ms. Cox character (which I thought she played well).
The pacing and development of the two predictable romances was fair, but why not let Summer have a little tirade with Dylan for knowing he had "seen" her dancing? Followed up with Dylan's peace offering of the necklace pendant -- drama & release -- make the relationship grow on us.
The human stories here have to do with the kids as outcasts in life. Let's develop that more than the two short bits about the girls and Jack finally relating to Dylan. Zoom needed to grow with each kid to show his own growth and bring out his determination to succeed.
Then again, succeed at what? I think Tim Allen does a great job with the "unknown" aspect of the plot. He has no motivation, he gives none. But without a believable reason to drive the plot of the kids' training, we get what we saw. Also, there's nothing socially "dangerous" about the threat of Concussion - it seems a personal vendetta or overblown fear that Larraby is concerned about -- hardly enough to make me feel for him or his cause, and, unfortunately, the movie.
Finally, let's chew on continuity and technical prowess. I was thinking I saw the boom 5 times (but let's not quibble). Aren't people paid to notice these things (the director, even) during production? Let's keep track of where the characters are and give them a reason to go/be somewhere else. Let's give the characters more reason, heck even a strategy, to want to make and close a vortex. Let's see Rip Torn say the line that we watch him ventriloquize {sic}.
Would I watch it again? Maybe just to watch Zoom stumble again, see Houdini throw another punch, or see Summer be radiant -- OK, Cindy's got the tough-cute factor that can be enjoyable in moderation (pull up a chair, whydontya).
