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Corporal Hicks
Reviews
The Last Patrol (2000)
How Do These Movies Get Finance?
The Last Patrol was one of those movies I forced myself to sit through. On pretty much every level I was left disappointed. The plot, the characters, continuity and the ending.
For some reason I had respect for Dolph but after a flick through his filmography I could only obviously recommend Universal Soldier. He was the only element of this production that offered any attraction but, while he went through the motions pretty well, he was surrounded on all sides by the mediocre and the ridiculous.
I'm sure that some of the scenes could maybe have been reworked and the overall plot could maybe have been dragged into more respectable territory but the characters were, overall, poor. Those who were meant to be funny were just annoying and with the possible exception of McBride, there was a general lack of depth.
I just don't understand how these movies make it to DVD - we're obviously not talking big budget here but where's the quality control guys?
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)
Entertaining exercise in new cinema
There had been a fair amount of media interest in this film and use of the Final Fantasy name had made it appeal to the game playing public. I have completed Final Fantasy 7 on the PSX and with no real expectations about this film, I ended up seeing it more or less on the spur of the moment.
The level of detail in the film was amazing. Our brains are fooled into believing that these images are real and yet I sometimes had to pause to remember the huge amount of processing that went into them. Both this film and Shrek have taken computer based animation to new levels. Someone referred to this film as some sort of glorified cartoon - this is grossly unfair. This type of film is obviously going to have it's critics but if it has failed to meet expectations then I say that these peoples expectations were wrong.
Obviously it has it's problems - the plot is sometimes a little difficult to get round and does leave some questions. The graphics are excellent but the lip-sync still needs some work - I believe that this will reach near perfection in time - but to bring down the whole film as a result of this would be nuts! I don't know the direction for this style of film but new ideas are always welcome in my book.
(SPOILER - START)
I found this film entertaining and was particularly impressed by doctor Sid's character in all aspects. The scenes where they descended into the green planet reminded me of when Cloud did so in FF7. In the closing scenes my girlfriend and I, both in our twenties, waited and wanted Grey's eyes to flicker back open, but they didn't.
(SPOILER - END)
In conclusion, if you take this film at face value and don't have some unfair pre-determined idea of what you are about to watch then your time should be well spent.
Event Horizon (1997)
A scary film
Event Horizon mixes modern technology (space travel) and traditional horror (visions of hell) to create a fresh story, and the derelict space setting made for creepy action.
I first saw this at the cinema and remember it having quite an effect on me. I sometimes, unfortunately, remembered the film late at night when it was quiet! Only Alien has scared me more in terms of tension.
There are some cool new special effects in the film and it's refreshing to see a movie where the absence of gravity is addressed.
Overall I found this film good solid entertainment with Laurence Fishburne and Sam Neill holding the film together nicely.