Incredible special effects unleash moments of eerie beauty...

Rating: 5/10 (28 June 2007)

Well-produced action-thriller about an asteroid the size of Texas about to slam into Earth is unfortunately filled with idiots and dolts. Why do we need Steve Buscemi on board as a loose cannon who manages to sit still for the training but nearly screws everything up in space (and even worse, appears to be rewarded as a "hero" besides?). Ben Affleck is his usual wooden, shallow self, but I was able to forget about him. Liv Tyler has some gutsy moments near the end, but her love scene with the animal crackers has to be an absolute cinematic low-point. Bruce Willis? He does his macho act, and there are bits and pieces where you can see genuine emotion registering on his face, but any actor could have played this role--it doesn't utilize his personality to any particular advantage. The special effects are fantastic, and the herky-jerky editing is always careful to reveal just enough of a particular marvel and then move on, but the story is pretty much a wash-out. ** from ****