The Huge Machine

Rating: Null/10 (20 May 2003)

Spoilers herein.
I admit to a certain admiration of Cameron. Alone among special effects manipulators, he has a solid sense of what works cinematically. When he invests, he invests in a world. That world envelops us with its completeness and magnitude. It is the opposite of, say, Carpenter, who invests in the stage, in the world of the performer rather than the viewer.
As far back as `Aliens' this talent has been apparent. This time, he sticks to the formula of a simple story annotated by all sorts of associations. No second plotline. No ambiguities or any questions open for viewer judgment. But he is sensitive to this I think and that is why he chose the most promising young actors that know something about narrative folding. That's where you act both in the space of the story and the world of the viewer. Kate in `Creatures' and Leo in `Romeo' did this. Kate has since grown to master it. His intent is underscored by making the color of her hair more brilliant. I don't know why yet, but this seems to signal such acting, at least in women.
But alas, except for the brief scene where Leo draws her - a natural situation for this type of acting - it is absent. Probably Cameron intended something deeper and more nuanced but just couldn't manage it. In this case as well as that of the ship, the vast machine wins.
Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 4: Has some interesting elements.