The 13th Floor had such potential... An excellent plot that takes the
basic elements of the Matrix and expands them into a wonderful -
if a little hokey - sci-fi/thriller. But what happened?
Instead of being a top-notch movie that could rival most sci-fi
movies for dominance, it ended up being a drawn-out, poorly
executed movie that looked like nothing more than a ripoff.
First of all, the acting was shabby. Craig Bierko must now rank up
with Keanu Reeves as one of the worst, most stony-faced actors
of all time. Every scene that he was in immediately lost its
potential for drama and was turned into a farce by his so-bad-it- must-be-self-parody job.
And this is the main problem. The special effects are good, the
screenwriting is good, the plot is excellent. But the acting is so
wooden, it gives the whole movie a feel of being drawn out and
overlong.
Although, not all of this can be blamed on the acting. Some parts
of the movie - especially toward the end - are much too long and
overplayed. This is unfortunate. Because long and dramatic
talking scenes are excellent for certain if not most kinds of movies.
Many movies could benefit from this. But the Thirteenth Floor is not
one of these movies.
All in all, the potential of this movie is incredible. Much of the movie
is vert well-staged, especially the 1930s-era scenes. But
unfortunately, the good feeling wears off quickly and instead, 13th
Floor leaves unfulfilled promise, instead of Matrix-esque awe.
5/10
basic elements of the Matrix and expands them into a wonderful -
if a little hokey - sci-fi/thriller. But what happened?
Instead of being a top-notch movie that could rival most sci-fi
movies for dominance, it ended up being a drawn-out, poorly
executed movie that looked like nothing more than a ripoff.
First of all, the acting was shabby. Craig Bierko must now rank up
with Keanu Reeves as one of the worst, most stony-faced actors
of all time. Every scene that he was in immediately lost its
potential for drama and was turned into a farce by his so-bad-it- must-be-self-parody job.
And this is the main problem. The special effects are good, the
screenwriting is good, the plot is excellent. But the acting is so
wooden, it gives the whole movie a feel of being drawn out and
overlong.
Although, not all of this can be blamed on the acting. Some parts
of the movie - especially toward the end - are much too long and
overplayed. This is unfortunate. Because long and dramatic
talking scenes are excellent for certain if not most kinds of movies.
Many movies could benefit from this. But the Thirteenth Floor is not
one of these movies.
All in all, the potential of this movie is incredible. Much of the movie
is vert well-staged, especially the 1930s-era scenes. But
unfortunately, the good feeling wears off quickly and instead, 13th
Floor leaves unfulfilled promise, instead of Matrix-esque awe.
5/10