Has action, not substance.

Rating: 6/10 (30 December 2008)

I like the idea. Lots of reviewers find this movie unoriginal, but really, what action movie is? People seem to hold The Matrix as the pinnacle of sci-fi, but it has glaring similarities to Star Wars and even the Bible. Originality out the window, this is a decent movie to watch for lots of bullets and car chases. Just don't expect anything too deep.
The cast was immensely flawed. The main character McEnvoy is almost... too typical. It seemed like this character was a wimpy tool turned killing machine solely to cater to the 20-something video game crowd (did the office scenes remind anyone else of Office Space?). I started to hate the "fraternity" almost as much as I hate real-life frats, as every member had a stupid arrogant smirk on their face like "I know something you don't" times 100. I don't think a single assassin changed expressions once, as they went from smug to overly-smug.
The special effects are love/hate. I liked the car chases and most of the shootings, except for the bullets colliding mid-air. That was cool the first time, but since its an event that has likely never happened or ever will happen, it grew tired by about the fourth repetition. One thing that absolutely disgusted me was how the main character survived the farthest fall EVER, with no major injuries.
If you want to see a quick flick with lots of action, this is a good pick. The stereotypical characters/story elements, however, were VERY questionable at times and just reminded me of those kids in middle school that were always fake-shooting each other and trying to do Matrix moves in gym class.