Hey folks, Harry here... This is a known associate of Mr Beaks... going under the alias... Irish-Man. I'm not sure why, but I just sense something rotten about him, but maybe that's Beaks... he's an evil bastard that one. Anyways, here's another strong positive look at THE CORE - a film with a ludicrous trailer but... seemingly a very quality film. Well, I'm all for good movies, so looks like we should give this one a chance...
Hi Harry, Moriarty, Mr. Beaks, etc. Here's my review of "The Core," and it's my first one, so I hope it's not too long or anything:
Last night I was at the test screening of "The Core" in Burbank. You all know what this movie is about by now, so I won't go into that. I will, however, preface my review with a short editorial statement: This is a science-fiction action movie. It shouldn't need to be said that ìthis movie won't win any Oscars... Nobody should have to justify enjoying it. It doesn't have to be realistic or possible. If you insist on movies with plots that could actually happen, then you obviously haven't enjoyed 'Star Wars,' 'The Matrix,' 'Lord of the Rings,' 'Spider-Man,' etc. And I feel sorry for you. Now go watch a documentary. If, on the other hand, you can enjoy a movie as fictional entertainment, then read on, for I liked this movie quite a bit. And hey, at least this used enough actual science to sound plausible, unlike some of the aforementioned movies. OK. So what do you get when you mix Jules Verne, modern space movies, and standard Hollywood clichÈs? 'The Core,' of course. After the disappointing opening of 'The Four Feathers' and the flop of 'K-19,' this may be Paramount's last chance to salvage the year. And it'll probably be up to marketing because I thought the movie was quite fun and most of the crowd seemed to enjoy it as well. There was applause after the movie ended, not from everybody, but definitely over half. The problem will be getting people into the theaters in the first place.
The movie follows a pretty typical story structure for a disaster movie: there are the first minor effects, then somebody figures out what's going on, then the government doesn't believe them, then some bigger effects, then the government wakes up, then they send the team on their impossible mission. Naturally, things don't go smoothly and problems arise, but our plucky crew manages to overcome these problems and save the world. Nothing new there. The unique part was in how the plot plays out. Setting the story underground managed to turn science fiction conventions on their ear. There was actually an 'asteroid field' scene. Underground. Amazing, but in the context, it really worked well. The cavern scene mentioned in the previous review was also very cool. I would have loved to see the finished FX, but as it was, it was still pretty intense. Just when one problem is defused, another arises. And it's a doozy.
Then there are the cutaway scenes to the surface, where things in San Francisco and Rome do NOT look good. Again, I would have liked the finished effects, but the ones in place gave a good indication of what happens. And it's pretty cool stuff, especially the Golden Gate bridge scene. Yikes.
The ship itself looks kind of like a big earthworm (appropriately), but in a good way. There are a bunch of quick shots of it zipping through the earth. These are done well, with a lot of glowing, reddish gold residue swirling around as it melts its way through the rock with the help of some super lasers developed by a gritty Delroy Lindo.
A few other good things: The launch of the ship reminded me a lot of the Machine from 'Contact,' as a kind of enormous global undertaking. DJ Qualls' role fits him perfectly, and he is used periodically for comic relief. Thank goodness he wasn't on the crew though. They only use him in small doses, which works well, instead of the entire movie, which probably would have gotten annoying. And Stanley Tucci plays the arrogant, glory-hogging scientist, who could have very easily turned into a typical jerk character. The difference is, he's actually competent and very important to the mission. You actually end up liking him near the end of the movie. Good work by him.
There are, naturally, some flaws. I never said the movie was perfect, just that I liked it a lot. The biggest flaw is simply the plot holes. Forgetting even the main plot, there were several occasions where scenes felt missing. A non-spoiler example: There is a scene where they have to get outside the ship but the only door is too hot to pass through. So the pilot looks around and asks for alternatives. It immediately cuts to the crew exiting the ship!! What the hell? They obviously figured out a way to get outside, but they sure didn't inform the audience. There are a couple of little things like that.
And the other main flaw is the stupid, undeveloped, requisite 'romance' between the male and female leads. Is it even possible to make an action movie anymore without including some stupid flirting? Can't they just be glad they survived and still be colleagues?
The romance is just so incredibly pointless and minor that it did nothing but make me roll my eyes at a climax that was already taking too long. Paramount: cut that scene! We are not rooting for the characters to get together. We're glad they survived; now end the movie. Geez...
So there you go. This review may have been slightly haphazard, but it was my first one. Overall, I sincerely enjoyed 'The Core' and was able to overlook its several minor flaws. In fact, I may see this again when it's released, just for the finished special effects. And if you're thinking about seeing it, give it a chance. It was better than most of what came out this summer--
Until next time,
Irish-Man
