tedious, which happens to rhyme with obvious

Rating: 2/10 (11 August 2003)

This movie was so overhyped, I have to admit I went in dreading it so much, I wanted to be proven wrong. I wanted this to be the best Mel Gibson movie since his forgotten classic, Payback. But, alas, no.
A plodding plot. Two dimensional stock characters, with no development. Cliche dialogue so bad that the actors only keep a straight face by being wooden throughout. The only genuine moment was a cameo by Patricia Kalember as Mel's dying wife. It made me long for thirtysomething, where she was the least interesting part of the show.Pretty bad when a movie makes me long for television.
In the end, a self important exercise of posturing egos with no meaning.
Rent Close Encounters instead.