Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 28th, 2004
V: The Series was a great idea that couldn’t seem to hit its stride. It was plagued by budget restrictions and astronomical expectations. The result was the inevitable failure of the show. It just wasn’t possible to reproduce the f/x and epic tales of the two mini-series events with about a fifth of the budget. Judged on its own, the series wasn’t all that bad. A solid cast anchored by Marc Singer, Faye Grant, and Robert Englund picked up the slack left by the poor budget. The absence of Kenneth Johnson was also keen...y felt. Although there were still some excellent episodes, most notably the first, Liberation Day, too much time and effort went into the soap opera arcs, particularly the alien half-breed baby.
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 26th, 2004
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 19th, 2004
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 18th, 2004
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 14th, 2004
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 10th, 2004
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 3rd, 2004
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 2nd, 2004
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on July 29th, 2004
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Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on July 20th, 2004
It seems like there have been quite a few dramatic films over the past three years or so that have fallen into this trap of bad marketing. Curiously enough, they all seem to have the same narrative feel, from Heist to Confidence to Spy Games… and now Spartan. I sometimes have a hard time figuring out why some films become hits, and some don’t. (Of course, if I were a master at that, I would be the highest paid man in Hollywood.) I don’t understand how mindless films like Men in Black II.../i> can make their money back, but taught dramas like Spartan do mediocre work at the box office.
Regardless, this is a film that deserves to be seen by a wider audience. This picture is an exciting mix of dramatic sub-genres; part of the action seems to be drawn from CBS’ hit television show Without a Trace, part from Nicholas Cage’s 8mm, and part from any number of Tom Clancy novels. The result is a sharp film that is more concerned with the urgency of the story than it is explaining every little detail to the viewing audience. Names and faces aren’t important, just the mission at hand.
