Cut and paste action flick -rent

Rating: Null/10 (6 May 2004)

Saw this on UK preview today, and in a more forgiving mood you could call this a brain-off action flick.
Even so that was no excuse for copying and pasting from: The Mummy (hey look the slave henchman's been typecast!), Aliens, a one-scene homage to Predator, Sleepy Hollow, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (along with its rubbish CGI from one of 8 different effects houses), Underworld, Blade, the Bond films, Evil Dead III, Raiders of The Lost Ark and Gremlins 2.
If you're in a bad mood, it's just terrible. Mind you I didn't like LXG either, so if you also hated that, rent this- the effects won't look so naff on a television.
Why? Scene-chewing exposition and a lame script that's travelog not dialogue, though the actors do their best and the chief villain of course has the best lines and provides the most fun. The whole project seems to have overwhelmed Stephen Sommers and more so, his editor. It's only partly redeemed by an ending which doesn't cop out Hollywood style and terrific, ironically OTT soundtrack from Alan Silvestri.
So, the first 2004 summer season flick, and unlike five years ago, it's not an unexpected surprise hit. It's not fair to keep knocking Sommers over the head with the Mummy movies, but even Deep Rising was better.