Enjoyable. Exactly what the summer ordered

Rating: 8/10 (30 June 2008)

The classic Hollywood action movie. Such a tough genre to work in, especially now a days. In the 70's it was about gritty realism. The 80's was about over the top shenanigans. The 90's was the birth of CGI, when talent still mattered...
Now we have the likes of the Matrix and the Star Wars prequels. Orgies of CGI that trying to force themselves upon the public as classics. The action heroes of old were able to mow down swaths of enemies before riding off into the sunset, kicking that snide smile to the audience. Where have the action heroes gone? I don't know, but this is a great action movie. If you were looking for a treatise on the superhero mythos, read the Watchmen comic book or wait for the movie. The action is ridiculous, over the top, gratuitous and completely enthralling. I spent the entire movie with my jaw dropped to the floor. And the best part? It was completely un-apologetic. No weepy second acts about the mayhem being wreaked. That definitely has its place in good cinema, but not here. It's balls to the walls from start to finish.
The action is a lot like the Matrix, but it does not make you feel like you have to read a dissertation on Western Philosophy to appreciate it. Go, turn off your brain off(way off) and enjoy it for what it is.