I've been accused lately, with some justification, of being prone to negativity, so I figured I'd be positive about something for a change, specifically 2003's The Core, the best disaster flick I've seen and one heck of a popcorn ride overall. Why do I enjoy it so?
- The cast: you've got Aaron Eckhart, in probably his biggest pre-TDK role, First Contact's Alfre Woodard, Trek XI's Bruce Greenwood, Hilary Swank looking darn good in a flight suit and Delroy Lindo and Stanley Tucci at each others' throats. I dare anyone to name a better disaster-movie lineup. Heck, I dare anyone to name a better scifi/fantasy movie lineup, period.
- The roles: the people in Virgil are actually substantial characters, not one-note talking props. Each death, when it comes, is different in tone (one quick and unexpected, one surprising but agonizingly drawn out, one deliberate and heroic and one... well, one pretty funny), and each one carries an emotional resonance.
- The direction: the pace is excellent. A fair deal of comedy, some of it very much tongue-in-cheek, helps to soften the shock of the ludicrous premise so that by the time the drama sets in, we're already enjoying ourselves and not necessarily expecting as good a movie as we get. There are also some pretty nifty directorial flourishes in long takes and cool transitions.
- The "Quartz Grand Canyon" sequence has a hauntingly beautiful quality. There's definitely something to be said for the homely wonders of innerspace fiction.
- Unobtanium: hey, now we know why it was so rare in Jake Sully's day - most of it was destroyed in the Virgil! Don't pretend that that link isn't cool.
- The science: I know, I know, it's a fairy tale. So are 90% of big-budget movies. If that's your complaint, you're in the wrong movie.
- The poster: badass.
And, finally, it just might be smarter than it at first appears. Mick Lasalle, The San Francisco Chronicle:
Any other fans aboard?
- The cast: you've got Aaron Eckhart, in probably his biggest pre-TDK role, First Contact's Alfre Woodard, Trek XI's Bruce Greenwood, Hilary Swank looking darn good in a flight suit and Delroy Lindo and Stanley Tucci at each others' throats. I dare anyone to name a better disaster-movie lineup. Heck, I dare anyone to name a better scifi/fantasy movie lineup, period.
- The roles: the people in Virgil are actually substantial characters, not one-note talking props. Each death, when it comes, is different in tone (one quick and unexpected, one surprising but agonizingly drawn out, one deliberate and heroic and one... well, one pretty funny), and each one carries an emotional resonance.
- The direction: the pace is excellent. A fair deal of comedy, some of it very much tongue-in-cheek, helps to soften the shock of the ludicrous premise so that by the time the drama sets in, we're already enjoying ourselves and not necessarily expecting as good a movie as we get. There are also some pretty nifty directorial flourishes in long takes and cool transitions.
- The "Quartz Grand Canyon" sequence has a hauntingly beautiful quality. There's definitely something to be said for the homely wonders of innerspace fiction.
- Unobtanium: hey, now we know why it was so rare in Jake Sully's day - most of it was destroyed in the Virgil! Don't pretend that that link isn't cool.
- The science: I know, I know, it's a fairy tale. So are 90% of big-budget movies. If that's your complaint, you're in the wrong movie.
- The poster: badass.
And, finally, it just might be smarter than it at first appears. Mick Lasalle, The San Francisco Chronicle:
I just watched it for the third time at least, and it's still awesome. It's better-written than Independence Day, better-acted than The Day After Tomorrow, better-directed than Armageddon (I'm assuming, never bothered to watch it) and shorter than 2012.
Any other fans aboard?
The movies doesn't take himself too seriously, it's darn fun, and as the OP noted, the cast is fantastic and characters are reasonably well-developed (oh, and I want to be Stanley Tucci's character). The science is terrible beyond belief, but I don't really care for this one.
