And I thought Terminator IV was bad. Totally lazy reliance on CGI

Rating: 5/10 (6 April 2010)

Hollywood is best known for its "professional" film makers but when you see movies like this it makes you wonder if there should be some heart involved in movie making rather than the algorithmic logic of BO collections surpassing production costs. For the last couple of years there has been a staple diet of sort for producers to churn out remakes which in most cases turn out to be duds. Terminator IV was a prime example of how a great franchise was sabotaged and a complete contrast was Dark knight. This one is in the middle of both though not exactly the mean but kind of skewed more towards the bad part. I had not seen the earlier version (1981) of the movie so I can be more "unbiased" towards the so called "remake" but this one certainly lacked the soul and basic elementary art of movie making.
I must admit that the trailers and marquee promos of the movie were exciting enough for creation of a buzz which indicated the movie to be "good" if not an epic. But the actual 1:45 min 'Tamasha' was nothing short of a "script gone bad + comic attempt of remake + 3D effects" all combined. 3D in itself is not an end but mere means to a blockbuster. 'UP' and 'Ice age 3' perfected it while 'Avatar' raised the bar altogether. But this one and Alice in Wonderland proved that using technology as a substitute to content will demean the genre as well as the faith in 3D technology itself. The desert-brown background is dimmed even more by the glasses – something the other 3D movies could cope with due to their vibrant colors – and all panorama wide angle shots appear blotched. The various creatures aren't quite always photo-real, although the sheer size of them – especially the octopus shaped Kraken – are impressive enough but wasted due to screen presence only in minutes. Worthington's acting was largely camouflaged in Avatar due to the naavi avatar but the flaws are glaring in this one The basic undoing of this one is that there's little story here, and everything that was happening was a sad excuse to somehow get the story quickly moving onto the next big 'set' action sequence. The action sequences have a 'inspiration' from the past hits like the Scorpion attacks related to Transformers, Uma Thurman's rendition of Medusa, and Godzilla coming complete with that octopus Kraken. I pity Worthington, who has been only 'half man' for his entire career – 'half machine' in Terminator: Salvation, 'half Naavi in Avatar, and now, 'half god'!! He seems to be perpetually on search for salvation as far as professional and career development is concerned Gemma Arterton is a welcome eye-candy in the film and she seems not to be stereo type into such roles (prince of Persia coming up) and the word "cougar" would suit their relationship just fine.
The 3D didn't work enough in this film as it was used only during post production, thanks to the stunning box office success of Avatar. That's not to say that CGI cannot work at all; Jurassic Park is a rare example of effects being used well where the contest is not strong or almost superficial. This one will likely be forgotten since it's nothing more than 'average action drama', though the box office collection due to its marketing would be ensured.
(ONLY) One time watch better if you get a bargain ticket / free popcorn to heal damage to your wallet
PS 1: I thought Pegasus the winged horse, was white in Greek mythology but I guess the crash (oops "clash" I meant to say) made him 'dark'..
PS 2: Sam Worthington may have taken sword fighting lessons in his mothers womb; cos I don't remember him learning it in this movie nor in Avatar / terminator salvation