Over the top, pyrotechnics dream -And then there's Cage

Rating: 5/10 (29 November 2014)

Wow, what a cheesefest. Very much a "Hollywood" war movie in a completely over the top way, with endless rounds of gunfire and big, bright explosions that sees soldiers diving and rolling away from the pyrotechnics (Captain Kirk would be proud).
Yeah where to begin with this? Disappointing on almost every level with ultra cheesy battle scenes containing enough fireworkie explosions that after a while your eyes glaze over. We also get a melodramatic Nicholas Cage who borders on (is) comedic in his overacted delivery of a battle fatigued Marine. "Oh no Tommy come on, come on. Noooooooooo!" His character is often so ridiculous that I was actually laughing during scenes that should have been very serious.
The story itself is okay and has been loosely (oh so loosely) based on a real-life operation during WWII, following two Navajo radiomen and the U.S. Marines assigned to protect them (at all costs) as they encode military messages in their native language. This idea of the code talkers is compelling but unfortunately lost in this pyrotechnics dream, too bad.
I did enjoy Adam Beach as Private Ben and his transformation from naïve reservation family man to eyes wide open, I've witnessed horror soldier. There are some other familiar faces here amongst the troops; Mark Ruffalo, Christian Slater, Jason Issacs. I would have to think though if you were a WW2 veteran this movie would be insulting. 11/15/14