darthstar Reviews

War of the Worlds (2005)

Spielberg shows us why he is king of his craft

[10/10 · 3 July 2005]

I left this movie shaken and jumpy. Horrifying is the descriptive term that I thought best fits this film. I felt wrung out emotionally. The culprit is superb film-making/superior storytelling. Spielberg nailed this one. Because the story is told from the standpoint of one family, it seems that it is happening to us. I am a huge sci fi fan and the 53 version of this story is one of my favs. But I am intolerant of a lot of sci fi films because they insult your intelligence or are populated with characters that act unbelievably(see independence day). This war is probably the best sci-fi film I have seen in years. The special effects are tremendous but do not drive the story. The human drama, the horror of their plight is the thread that holds your attention throughout. I have seen some of the negative reviews of this film. I will not go into detail into specific plot points for fear of revealing spoilers but the so called logic gaffes that many have pointed out, reveal a lack of imagination on the part of the reviewers. I strongly recommend this film but don't bring the little ones this is the stuff of nightmares.

Crimson Force (2005 TV Movie)

Why does the sci fi channel have no respect for it's audience?

[1/10 · 5 June 2005]

Is there a rating of minus stars that I can assign to this waste of time? Because awful is just too generous. Here is a more accurate description. Grade Z, jerked off and rated S for silly. Good science fiction does not have to be chained to scientific plausibility(hence the genre) However if the characters do not behave in a plausible fashion and the plot shows no imagination then we are left with a film like "Crimson Force". Another pathetic offering from the sci fi channel. Speaking of which who are they making these lame brained movies for. Certainly no one who wants to be entertained by intelligent science fiction. They must get the scripts for their movies from essays written in middle school.....wait come to think of it there I go being too generous again.