Stealth Review

"Stealth" reviews

Movie

Stealth

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2008-10-02 21:48:46

Rating

1/5

Provider

CinemaSource

Review

What do you get when you mix a lame Top Gun with a vain 2001: A Space Odyssey and throw in the financial expectations and subsequent integrity restraints of summer? You get Stealth.

Story

Set in the near future, the Navy develops a technologically advanced fighter jet tutored by three top fighter pilots: Ben Gannon (Josh Lucas), Kara Wade (Jessica Biel) and Henry Purcell (Jamie Foxx). But little do they know, they are the ones being flown (insert sinister laugh). In between vacationing on exclusive exotic islands, carousing and dropping not-so-subtle hints at sexual tension, Gannon, Wade and Purcell are forced to try and gain control of ''EDI''--the fourth aircraft, manned by HAL-like artificial intelligence--with that creepy voice to boot. See, EDI was struck by lightning on the first mission, which causes ''him'' to go a little off the deep end and threatens to exacerbate the war it was created to stop and kill scores of individuals. If it sounds a bit inane and outlandish, that's because it is. Perhaps the most edgy Stealth ever gets is when one if its three stars is given an early exit.

Acting

Stealth's stars aren't exactly well cast as the elite, cocky fighter pilots. Clearly, they are all fine actors, but the studio's desire to capitalize on budding superstars--and perhaps getting them on the cheap--might have backfired here. Foxx, in his first role since his Oscar-winning performance in Ray and the pandemonium that followed, is better-suited for a comedy or heavy drama even though he tries, unsuccessfully, to inject his brand into Stealth. But Lucas as an action star? It's simply not meant to be. For each of his many plights, during which he is forced seethe and yell, you can't help but think of his career-defining role opposite Reese Witherspoon in Sweet Home Alabama. Biel, meanwhile, is the film's closest plausible casting choice, but like the rest of her co-stars, the Texas Chainsaw Massacre beauty does not effectively overcome her unfortunate typecasting.

Direction

Stealth was a logical next step for director Rob Cohen. It's not unlike 2001's The Fast and the Furious, but taking place in the sky. It's obvious that Cohen has a penchant for the loud, but the high volume here is barely loud enough to keep audiences' eyes open. And Cohen's special effects are more akin to a videogame than unrest in the sky. At times, the visuals even bear a striking resemblance to Tim Burton's vanity claymation side-projects. Granted, this film might be a palpable segue into its likely foray into the gaming world, but the tracks could've been covered a little better. And apparently, the closer the shot, the faster the action and scene transitions and the less the audience is able to ponder and dissect what has just happened, which certainly isn't to suggest every frame is not clearly and explicitly spelled out for summer audiences.

Bottom Line

Although a unique sci-fi genre, Stealth falls short of being entertaining and at times, is unintentionally funny.

Copyright © CinemaSource 2008.

Movie

STEALTH

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2005-10-25 21:09:37

Provider

MRIB

Review

With cinemas besieged by Star Wars, Batman, WOTW and Fantastic Four marketing campaigns, you'd be forgiven for not noticing Stealth clinging on to their blockbuster coat-tails. However, this refreshingly uncomplicated, all action air force movie could well surprise the blockbuster industry this summer.

Think Top Gun meets War Games and you'll get the rough gist of a plot that's set in one of those 'not too distant futures', just to make the whole endearingly ridiculous scenario seem just that teensy bit plausible. The navy has developed a ground- breaking artificial intelligence computer system (and no, it's not called HAL) to pilot its state of the art fighter jets without people. The computer is installed on an aircraft carrier in the Pacific Ocean where it's supposed to learn combat manoeuvres from the human pilots (Josh Lucas and Jamie Foxx). However, the system soon develops a mind of its own and it's left up to those old-fangled people to try and prevent the computer from kick-starting World War III.

Popcorn fun is the only way to describe this 90-minute thrill ride. OK, so there's a loose 'don't rely on technology' moral running through the film, vaguely reminiscent of Westworld or a dumbed down 2001 A Space Odyssey. But ultimately, Stealth is pure escapism. The mix between live action and digital technology is convincingly seamless, and at times so vivid it may even have you ducking beneath your movie seat. Oscar winner Jamie Foxx, meanwhile, adds a certain credibility to the otherwise hammy dialogue, while the rest of the cast pout and ponder theatrically in all the right places.

Copyright © MRIB 2005.