BIG dissapointment: ** (out of ****)

Rating: Null/10 (21 April 2000)

It is well known that wonderful sound and film editing can save a movie that is lacking in other aspects such as credibility and good acting. Sadly, the opposite is also true, and U-571 demonstrates it clearly. Normally, people love theaters, as do I; their superior sound quality can make you feel like you're right in the middle of the action. This sort of advantage has made viewings of movies like THE MATRIX, THE PHANTOM MENACE, and THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH immensely pleasurable. However, U-571 makes a fatal mistake here; this is a loud movie, and I mean a REALLY loud movie. While the volume is just fine during scenes with plenty of dialouge and little action, it jumps beyond the breaking point during the action sequences. Here, what is intended to be suspenseful is just plain annoying.
Even when ruling out the over-the-top pyrotechnics, U-571 is lacking in another key area too. The characters here are undeveloped; only one of them is shown to have a past, but everyone else is only here to serve the plot. Nevertheless, this movie isn't about personalities and character development; it's about engaging the viewer and taking him/her on what is intended to be an underwater roller-coaster ride of sorts. Even there, it doesn't work because the sound effects are so pumped up and the camera moves so frenetically that several supposedly nail-biting suspense scenes become irritating.
There's really not much more I can say about this movie. The acting really isn't worth talking about-- everyone does a solid job-- but there isn't much here to make each character stand out. Really, this is one of those films where you refer to most people as "this guy" or "that guy." Even though all major characters' names are given, it was easy for me to forget them. But in the end it all comes back to the overbearing volume in this movie. Yes, I understand that depth charges, guns, bursting pipes, and explosions make loud noises, but when they overpower the viewing experience, it's all just too much.
I suspect that U-571 will work better on video than in a theater. If you have a surround-sound system set up, you're in luck. You can set the volume at appropriate levels and be drawn in to the experience. The crazy camera won't be much of a problem either since a living room with a TV provides a more intimate medium than a theater with a screen stretching outward. U-571 should come equipped with a bright warning label that it is not viewer-friendly.