Reviews

The premise of this movie started strong but did lack good written dialogue and sound science but the effort was there. The second season quickly devolved into bashing big business and saying all we need is stronger leadership. Then they just add in things that have nothing to do with advancing the plot of the show. By the 4th episode, I turned it off because it wasn't enjoyable to watch. We watch shows and movies to be entertained, not lectured to.

I am uncertain why I tuned into this show but I am glad I did. It did have a feel of Star Trek to it but with some fun thrown in as with a heavy dose of Galaxy Quest. The pilot episode did have a plausible theme and the science wasn't so far off to make you say: "that just can't happen". I do hope FOX keeps this show as I will watch it every week. OK, this was a little more Galaxy Quest than Star Trek but I hope the viewers will enjoy that humor.

I found it enlightening that so many scientists are questioning "global warming". After all we keep hearing that 97% of scientists agree that humans cause climate change, aka global warming. This movie actually shows how that 97% was acquired. Turns out that the sample size was only 67 people. When I was in college, my statistics class would never had allowed me to use such a small sample size. Not only was this 97% made up of so very few, but most were not even climate scientists. Humm, the news on TV never mentions this. As that matter goes the press fails to report the news on global warming accurately. One question they never did get around to was why doesn't the media report the real facts? I do recommend watching it if for no other reason than to get the other side of the story. When it comes out on DVD, I will have to buy it so that I can determine if all of the facts stated were correct.

*CONTAINS SPOILERS* I thought the idea for the movie was sound then I watched it. So much just didn't make sense. Why would a nuclear missile be targeting France only miles from the ship? They got the part right where the EMP takes out the electronics on board the ship but a) it didn't take out the electronics in the lab on board the ship, b) the EMP had no affect upon the cruise ship and c) why didn't the captain order all electronics shut off since he ordered the crew to cover their eyes? Just asking. How is it that the Russians can get a spy as the doctors assistant because they should have known each other for a long time and the spy would have to have extensive microbiological training? The number of flaws in the show outweigh the stuff they got right by a wide margin. You must suspend all knowledge of information in order to enjoy this show.

I watched this movie on the SyFy channel last night and it was every bit as bad as the other movies they air. Having read the book by Jules Verne many decades ago, I was disappointed to see very little of the original plot to exist in this feature. Supposedly, Captain Nemos crew builds this mansion in the middle of an island that has no electricity. Yet, when the characters first enter the house, we can clearly see a modern air vent in the entry way. Also, nowhere in the book did Nemo's crew mutate into shaggy creatures. Nor was there any mention of a time travel machine in the classic. Also, for some unknown reason, the makers of this film decide to give Nemo a static electricity weapon that can not only shoot in a straight line but hit only the villains and not the heroes. The producers should have just saved their money.

Where to start? The CGI was probably done on an old Mac as none of the scenes with the monsters or special (?) effects looked real. Lots of jerky camera motion to simulate the earth moving. The actual battle between the 2 reptiles lasted for only a few thankful seconds. Unless you like really bad movies, skip it. The scenery was nice though and the girls were pretty. Here's the plot if you are interested. Bad company run by evil David Carradine creates overgrown reptiles that like to eat people. Of course they first have to munch down on the scientists that created them. Second course involves eating a bunch of bad mercenary soldiers. Evil David sends for croc killer from bayou. Then he has his beautiful killer henchwoman try to clean up the mess. Meanwhile the reptiles munch down on some tourists (and the tourists don't even get to see where Elvis stayed). Then, the reptiles get herded together and they dance around a bit before one of them bits the other and kills it. They blow up a factory with some C4 and grain dust in order to kill the remaining one. The End (thank God).

As I watched this film, I found it tantalizing enough to watch it all the way through. After watching it all I could think was: it was missing Crow, Tom, and Mike (MST3K). It started out fair enough even though the acting was on par with a high school performance but it disintegrated into the unbelievable dare I say absurd. The continuity was abysmal because from scene to scene the piranha changed size. First they are jumping into buildings where they are the size of buses, then in next shot of river they are the size of a large dogs. Finally at the end, they find a way to kill one of the beasts but there are thousands. They congratulate themselves and it ends. What about all the other fish?

The last 3 visits to San Francisco but anything but fun. Because they have turned the city over to the insane, I found myself rooting for the meteors during the movie. The special effects were OK and the acting was passable but the science behind the movie was totally laughable. I am a scientist and my wife hates to watch these kind of movies with her because I tear them apart while we watch. First off, there is no element 120 and we have never witnessed anything in nature that could create it. Also, the main character was constantly riding around on his motorcycle without refueling. That kinda reminded me of a gunfight where they always have guns of infinite rounds. And near the end of the movie we find that lurking in this vast array of rocks hurling towards earth is Apophis (a very large asteroid)and we are expected to believe that astronomers couldn't see it coming? And the bit about waiting until the atmosphere is heating it up from friction to start to shoot nukes at it. Everyone knows that in order to change the trajectory of something big coming at you from space, you have to nudge it while it is a million miles away at least.