Reviews

After seeing some other disappointing attempts at portraying the Afghanistan and Iraq war, Sand Castle was a very pleasant surprise.

The characters were believable and the story convincing, telling the difficulties faced by American soldiers and Iraqi civilians alike. It didn't need over-exaggerated patriotism nor jingoism, nor did it rely upon over the top action scenes nor special effects.

I was drawn in by the characters and the story, and although it left me wanting more this was in a good way - what it said it said well. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and have no hesitation in recommending it.

Unconvincing and rather tedious. The characters and their reactions to situations were hackneyed, and the acting and script often poor. Quite simply, I could not believe I was watching armed forces in operation.

This is one to avoid. If you want quality drama about embedded journalists on the modern battlefront, watch the HBO mini-series 'Generation Kill'.

Seemed like a good premise - "a special-ops team that is dispatched to fight supernatural beings". Unfortunately, it soon became rather laboured and featured shallow characters (seriously, what was the point of that woman from the CIA?), relying too heavily upon run of the mill action scenes and special effects to make up for shortfalls in the plot.

As for the punchline as to what these spectral beings were - seriously, BEC??? All this movie was missing was cheesy techno-babble along the lines of "Quick, reverse the quantum loop gravity!!!" And did I mention a science adviser whose improvisation skills in the field made Macguyver look like a 4th grade school kid? Sorry, but that's where you really lost me.

VERY disappointing.