I just watched this potential disaster of a movie (comercially at least) in Athens, Greece. My feelings are mixed as I can never slam a Michael Keaton movie.
Lets me elaborate on what you may not like first.
1) If you've read the synopsis on the IMDb site, you've basically seen three quarters of the film. And if you thought this would enhance character development, guess again. It doesn't happen...
2) Frasier, on most parts, reminded me of Hayden's attitude on Attack of the Clones (with a spice of the Three Stooges all rolled into one), a whinny stupid 5-year old.
3) The use of the 'F' word (and I don't mean 'Freedom'). I must have heard it about 150 times in less than 100 minutes (you figure out the ratio).
4) The whole film tries to be interesting by incorporating ideas that where successful elsewhere (flashbacks, conspiracy theories etc) but fails to maintain focus on any of those tricks. Alas, the fluctuation is present every 2 to 3 minutes. An overly-simplistic plot may be an excuse for the directors efforts, but not for the audiences' $$$...
5) There is too much evidence on what's going to take place at the end of the movie. It may not be entirely predictable, but if you take a closer look at what could really be going on, you'd see how this one ends, halfway through the movie.
True, this was never going to be a Miami Vice in terms of hype or action sequences but it does have some plus points...
1) Keaton is good. Not top notch mind you, but he delivered as expected. He portrayed his character in a believable fashion for most part of the film and proved once again that he can still be the difference between an average movie and a movie that sucked... Unfortunately the same cannot be said about the rest of the cast...
2) Bitter ending. It doesn't try to sell the extra ticket by miraculously turning things around (like 'Click' did so infuriatingly, in an otherwise excellent showing). In other words, the film does not really have any 'sci-fi' connections but gives you a dry, directly-from-life ending which is so often missed in Hollywood...
3) You may find yourself feeling for the lead (Keaton) a little: once his true character is revealed, you know he would somehow get the shorter end of the stick...
To sum it up: Go see it if you're a Keaton fan... Otherwise...
Lets me elaborate on what you may not like first.
1) If you've read the synopsis on the IMDb site, you've basically seen three quarters of the film. And if you thought this would enhance character development, guess again. It doesn't happen...
2) Frasier, on most parts, reminded me of Hayden's attitude on Attack of the Clones (with a spice of the Three Stooges all rolled into one), a whinny stupid 5-year old.
3) The use of the 'F' word (and I don't mean 'Freedom'). I must have heard it about 150 times in less than 100 minutes (you figure out the ratio).
4) The whole film tries to be interesting by incorporating ideas that where successful elsewhere (flashbacks, conspiracy theories etc) but fails to maintain focus on any of those tricks. Alas, the fluctuation is present every 2 to 3 minutes. An overly-simplistic plot may be an excuse for the directors efforts, but not for the audiences' $$$...
5) There is too much evidence on what's going to take place at the end of the movie. It may not be entirely predictable, but if you take a closer look at what could really be going on, you'd see how this one ends, halfway through the movie.
True, this was never going to be a Miami Vice in terms of hype or action sequences but it does have some plus points...
1) Keaton is good. Not top notch mind you, but he delivered as expected. He portrayed his character in a believable fashion for most part of the film and proved once again that he can still be the difference between an average movie and a movie that sucked... Unfortunately the same cannot be said about the rest of the cast...
2) Bitter ending. It doesn't try to sell the extra ticket by miraculously turning things around (like 'Click' did so infuriatingly, in an otherwise excellent showing). In other words, the film does not really have any 'sci-fi' connections but gives you a dry, directly-from-life ending which is so often missed in Hollywood...
3) You may find yourself feeling for the lead (Keaton) a little: once his true character is revealed, you know he would somehow get the shorter end of the stick...
To sum it up: Go see it if you're a Keaton fan... Otherwise...