1/10
Somewhere, a Video Game is Missing Its Cut Scenes
5 October 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Or is it some cut scenes are missing their video game? This movie wouldn't be bad if it was delivered in short segments around video game play. But as a movie, it leaves a lot to be desired.

That's not accurate. It leaves everything to be desired.

The core message in the movie is George W. Bush masterminded the 9/11 attack to gain popularity and steal the oil in Iraq. It's a rotten message, and the delivery is very poorly done.

Everything about this movie is derivative. Elements that were clever in the 80's and 90's, like the news reports delivering important information and mood, are now just tired reruns. Just using those news reports with the sarcastic tone would be bad enough, but in this movie the news reports often repeat information that was just given. So any chance of their being interesting or necessary is lost in a wave of redundancy.

The voice acting is painful to hear. Many of the female characters have a habit of adding an extra syllable to the end of words - like pouty teenage girls do." If it's not an extra syllable, it's a big intake of breath.

"Why are you doing this to me-uh?" "Send the ships (huhhhh)" It's very bad.

Characters go from absolute panic to over confident swagger to absolute panic to overconfident swagger - repeat the cycle 10 more times - in the same scene. It happens scene after scene. Are they overconfident veterans or panicked kids? It'f fine to be both at different times, but it's not fine to be both at the same time.

The shifting attitude of the characters goes right along with the overuse of the in-helmet, close up view of a panicked face. That's only broken up by the in-helmet, close up view of an overconfident face. It's shots by the numbers.

The story is by the numbers. An egotistical leader plots evil doings to get the people on her side. One man uncovers the plot, and he pulls the two heroes into the standard busting the conspiracy action. Star Trek" The Undiscovered Country did it much better.

There's some decent action buried in this mess, but it's buried too deep and it's too infrequent. That's where a video game would come in handy. If a player could get immersed in living the action for long stints between the awful movie, it would serve as glue that held the narrative together.

But the video game is absent along with entertainment value.
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