Poor Script and Direction Finished Crippling a Lame Film

Rating: 4/10 (12 August 2005)

I figured that this would be primarily a special-effects movie, so I didn't have high expectations. Unfortunately, those expectations weren't met. I had hoped that solid acting by Dennis Quaid and Jake Gyllenhaal could make this a character-driven action movie. The writing and direction removed any hope of that.
When watching the movie, I was surprised to find that the acting of Quaid and Gyllenhaal was quite bad. Since I hold these actors in high regard, I blame the script. It quickly digressed into unimaginably simplistic melodrama. Perhaps the actors had as much problem believing the dialog as I did. For crying out loud, they even threw in a kid with cancer as a whorish attempt to generate some emotion, although it added nothing to the plot.
The special effects were exceptional. If that is sufficient for you to enjoy a movie, this is a movie for you. If you require good character development and a creative script as I do, then this movie is likely to fall well short.