JephyrX

I hadn't heard a thing about this movie but decided to watch it because I've liked so many films Elijah Woods has appeared in.

I was instantly taken in by its first dark and comical scene...and had a good laugh over its "punch-line."

A promising start.

Most movies are so predictable that I often find myself easily guessing where the plot is going...but this one took so many interesting twists and turns I literally stopped trying and just sat back for the ride.

If I was comparing it to other films, Fargo, Shawn of the Dead, and Pulp Fiction come to mind...but it's NOT derivative of those types of movies at all. As with those films there are both sweet and tender moments...moments of drama often undercut with a dash of comedy...and some violent action.

There's a lot of interesting editing and shot selections à-la Edgar Wright comedies...and the pacing is lively and light...and keeps you on your toes.

Woods is great...playing a part I didn't expect from him. The female lead, Melanie Lynskey, is amazing too. I was going to write that I'd never seen her in anything before but just discovered she was the ditsy stalker on Two And A Half Men. I didn't watch much of that show...but did enjoy her character. In this film she comes across like the quintessential girl next door...very reserved, cute and perplexed by the world she's living in...but there is a vulnerability and real depth to her...and it's fun to see her character grow strength as the film puts her through the paces.

Otherwise the rest of the ensemble is excellent and very well cast. I got a kick out of the "rich wife" and her tweeker-dood son was spooky and awesome...as were the actors playing his druggie buddies.

Heck...everyone was great. :)

This is a deeply layered, fun movie...and I know I'll watch it many more times.

When I heard about the plot for this movie I thought what could go wrong.

After watching it — there is apparently a lot that did.

First of all the movie is generally beautiful to look at. There are epic vistas, amazing architecture, sweeping camera moves, and colorful/interesting costumes and surroundings.

Enter Matt Damon who puts on some kind of weird accent — that sounds a bit like an Alaskan Inuit — whose performance is "comfortable" but not inspired.

The actors around him are generally pretty good — although some key roles are terribly miscast.

What sends this movie off the rails is a script that meanders around a very weak "love" story, a lame sci-fi nod, bad CG, ridiculous scenarios, and the go to for every film-maker alive without a decent story to tell: gigantic battles filled with CGI HORDES of combatants climbing all over each other. If you've seen "World War Z's" zombie scenes — you'll get the idea.

Then you have the moralizing — which today's film-makers can't seem to live without. In this case: Weapons are dangerous and must be kept from people (except when needed to blow up your enemies), that young women can do ANYTHING...including being generals of armies before they're 22, and that white Europeans are either benevolent good-guys or greedy villains.

As for the ridiculous scenarios — I actually found myself laughing at how over the top they were. If you think people should bungee-jump into battle — this is your film. :)

With all the money that is spent on movies — I can never understand how so many can end up this bad.

I read reviews that gave me a pretty good idea of what I would face if I foolishly attempted to watch this movie.

I thought, "How bad could it be?", but then found it it was even worse than could be imagined.

First of all this film is achingly dull, and filled with absolutely implausible scenarios like rafts that somehow magically float upstream.

The music is drab and the dialog is forced and stilted...and all the young characters speak in that faux-Shakespearean English that has become ubiquitous in so many movies today where apparently no one has ever heard of a contraction before.

Usually, films give you establishing shots and introduce characters in some kind of chronological order. This one dispenses with that, however, and characters appear at midpoints in scenes as though they were always there. It is a REALLY weird directorial or editing decision! Maybe it had to do with the film's budget...but it was very strange.

With all that said, what really killed this film dead for me is it's heavy handed moralizing.

If you love being lectured as you watch movies...then this one is for you.

If you're looking for a somewhat realistic story, decent acting and some sense of being entertained — then run from this one as fast as you possibly can.