Rating of
2.5/4
Almost, but not quite perfect
The M.O.W. - wrote on 08/03/08
"Arachnids" and humans are at war, and "Johnny Rico" (Casper Vab Dein) has decided to join the military to fight the "bugs." Even though his parents, especially his father (Christopher Curry), object it and order him to go on vacation. He refuses, and joins the military.
He joins his beautiful girlfriend (Denise Richards), in military training. However, after taking an exam, he is assigned to Mobile Infantry, while she is assigned to Flight School. He is also joined by his best friend (Neil Patrick Harris, and his female football team mate, "Dizzy" (Dina Meyers), who tries to make him forget "Carmen" (Richards).
Now, after not being the best soldier-in-training and making a huge mistake resulting in the death of a fellow soldier, "Rico" decides to stick with the service as things begins to heat up in the war.
This movie reminds me a little of the "RoboCop" films with the fiction television broadcasts and TV commercials in the start of the movie. It then goes to straight out action movie.
One thing you will notice immediately is the special effects. They are perfect if you ask me. The starships look very realistic, and the "Arachnids" are amazing.
The "Bugs", as they are nicknamed for obvious reasons, look incredibly realistic. Their skin and movements really make them look like the real thing. And they are perfectly blended into the scenes. In fact, the special effects still hold up about 11 years later.
I thought the cast was really good. Even when the lines were a little poor. Many had really good chemistry together, especially the main performers. But, I think Harris was trying too hard to act "military" when he rejoins the story near the end.
Another thing you can't help but notice is the costumes. I can see many of the outfits in the battlefield. However, Richards looked horrible in what I think was a dress uniform she wore in one scene. The jacket looked too big on her, which was by design in the shoulders. Even the hat looked horrible on her.
There is a lot of action in this movie. Lots of explosions and gun play. However, despite the "Bugs" being explained in the movie as intelligent creatures, I just did not see any intelligence in their attacks, if any. To me, the "Arachnids" appeared to be defending their homeworld from invaders that had no reason for their attack.
I don't think that the movie did a clear explanation as to why the "Arachnids" are attacking the humans. It felt to me that the audience was left to assume the reason for their attack.
I also found some weak character development in this movie. We get people who are introduced to the audience, but their relationships with main characters are not really explored. We do get how they are connected with the main players, but we get no depth into their relationships.
One thing that parents of young children should be aware of is that this movie is pretty violent. If your child is of an age that can not understand that the "Arachnids" are not real, then you probably might not want to have them see this movie. Also, some of the things seen are pretty graphic, and should not be viewed by really young children due to how graphic some things are.
For some reason, the majority of the blood comes from the "Arachnids." You will see some major injuries, but the amount of blood that pours out is not as much as you would expect -- especially when an artery is sliced.
This movie is not for people who don't like gore, even though this is pretty mild. I also would not allow younger kids to watch this one.
Despite the minor problems, I would put this in your top three selections to rent if your first one is unavailable. Or check it on On Demand like I did.
