Could have been the franchise of the decade Before going to see this movie, I already felt positive about it, just because of the aesthetics, like many other people had done. My expectations were as when I go to see a Pixar movie, a Fincher's, a Woody Allen's, I was thinking I somehow knew enough to like it, like it had a quality sign printed in its look and concept, like it was giving back a genre it had disappeared a long time ago. Certainly it is a homage to a world that never exists anymore.
¿So what's the problem? I am afraid it's everything else, mainly the director. Script isn't touching, and that's a horrible start, but could have been relatively solved. It's not. The director doesn't seem to know where to place the camera and for how long, and I know it's hard to believe when you consider the pre-production for that film. Usually watchers get tired of beautiful shots of CGIs in other movies, here the director unbelievably missuses them.
Actors don't seem to understand what the hell is going on and just say line after line. For example, they don't make any sings of fear when they confront danger. Not to talk about love. They don't shout when being on a plane followed by other artifacts shooting at them.
The presence of Sir Lawrence Olivier is a total waste. It could have been used more deeply, more dramatically, but it ends being anecdotic and recurring to his image is simply useless.
That's when you come thinking about the difference between Spielberg and Conran. With a simple pastiched idea one created magic, the other one created a superficial lot of nothing.