INTERESTING FAILURE

Rating: Null/10 (14 May 2003)

I won't hark on the billion plot flaws, sterotyped characters, the sophomoric "comic relief" or the just plain stupid dialogue, like those 'intellectuals', who feel it is their moral responsibility to constantly niggle over obvious (and inevitable) flaws. I also cannot give my naive loyalties and idiotic blessings over to those "Chill out, it's only a popcorn flick" devotees either.
What I will say is "WHAT A PERFECTLY WASTED OPPORTUNITY!!!" (Can anyone spell 'Reign of Fire'?). When I first saw those eye-opening trailers, I had that stupid, good-hearted (and totally deceptive) impression that this would be a dark, intriguing and terrifying epic vision of alien armegeddon. No such bad-ass luck.
Knowing Hollywood all-too-well (like the old 'familiarity breeding contempt'), I should have cynically suspected that I was actually being attacked by the promo and marketing aliens. I did initially wonder, but like many of us, I allowed myself to be grossly misled out of that simple, innocent (and ignorant) desire to see a truly entertaining and greatly provocotive Science-fiction thriller. I must have been ripped out of my craving gord with such "positive" hopeless optimism.
Remember those effective ominous shots of the gigantic shadows engulfing those 'usual target' cities? You would almost enthusiastically assume that this was going to be something really grim, scary and profound. HOWEVER, (don't you just love that encouraging word?), what we finally get is "The Will Smith Comedy Hour" and a so-called plot that made the stories on 'Lost in Space' seem like compelling masterpieces of brilliant Science-Fiction. Also, let's not forget all those forgettable cut-out & paste paper mache' characters.
Now, wouldn't you think that a big-budgeted film about aliens destroying the world would have at least some suspense and an overwhelming sense of dread and horror, along with frightfully riveting action - perhaps even a little bit of disturbing thought? Aren't those the prime ingredients that we usually seek from films of this kind? A bit more than just shallow 'entertainment'?
I'm not advocating the dull, talky "intelligent" pretentious "art" films either. How about encorporating the 'best of both worlds' and have a tense, exciting action film that also tells an effective story to leave you with some appropriate nightmares and renewed perceptions of one's self and the troubled world we're living in (or at least trying to)?
I believe that's called integrity (or something along those critical lines); and even those "enjoyably entertaining" turn-off-your-enlightened-brain popcorn time-passers still need some structure and consistancy to rock& roll with at least some class.
Is that requesting too much from today's greedy and convoluted 'beyond-any-even-false-hope' film industry? Probably so.
I'm outta here. I got some important snoring to catch up on.