So promising; so disappointing

Rating: 3/10 (6 April 2008)

It would be wonderful to see the same cast do the same film under different direction and with a somewhat improved script. There is so much potential here that it's positively maddening to see it wasted.
The actors do a wonderful job overall, though Gary Oldman is so comic book character that it's almost embarrassing. Poor Chris Rock is stuck with screeching, "Oh my god!" about eight thousand times -- certainly someone could've come up with something more interesting than that to liven it up?
Milla Jojovich is completely likable and does a great job shifting through the various shade of her character. Bruce Willis -- well, he's Bruce Willis. Ian Holm is brilliant, of course.
Note to big-time movie makers: putting the bad guys in big rubber suits is not particularly intimidating for the viewer. It's distracting and downright silly at times.
As high on my wish list: never ever ever cast a non-musician in a musician's role. The poor woman trying to play the diva was utterly ridiculous in her attempt to look like she was producing the exquisite tones coming out of her mouth. In addition, for all the hype about the diva, it was only a letdown when the makeup and costuming effects were so-so and her phenomenal voice was augmented, not by incredible and imaginative visuals, but by silly hand movements and very un-diva-like she-bopping.
The sets were eye-poppingly real and then suddenly cartoonish. Big ideas walked right alongside trite ones, constantly bringing the picture down. Entirely too much time was spent on the opening sequence, and other pacing issues bog the film down. Unexpected plot surprises kept piquing my interest, only to disappear in completely predictable good guy/bad guy set-ups.
Please, someone, remake this film with a coherent message and the ability to make it all hang together.