Rating of
2.5/4
Tom Selleck sets Guinness Book of World Records!
Filmhaus - wrote on 04/12/21
- Guinness Book of World Records for "Longest End-Credits Kiss under a Shower of Sparks!"
- Kirstie Alley shanked by Gene Simmons of KISS!
- Over-ambitious camera-man blown away by Johnny 5 wielding a hand-gun!
I would have loved to sit in on the pitch for this, as it was probably better than the movie.
Full disclosure, I love Michael Crichton books, so it's been strange to discover that as a life-long polymath, he was also a fairly competent director.
To that end, I loved his early movies like Westworld and The Great Train Robbery (for which he penned the source material), as well as Coma which was written by the very talented Robin Cook.
However, there are two things in exploring his filmography that I've found out about him: first, he's a much better writer than a director. If you need proof, just look at his output on IMDB vs. his books on sale through Amazon. Second, he was wise to go back to writing because the visual effects in movies about technology date themselves very, very quickly.
This becomes obvious when you watch his movies like Runaway (or Looker - stay clear of that one, it was awful!).
What was conceived as moments of genuine suspense generated by state-of-the-art technology (syringed-tinged tinker toys, remote control Rhumba-bombs, and heat-seeking microchip-missile bullets), sublimates into camp under budget limitations.
But boy, this movie tries.
And succeeds on occasion with a little help from Jerry Goldsmith's excellent score.
In addition, the main character has vertigo which allows for some genuinely scary moments above a construction site, and the script is classy enough to make you wish the characters were in a different film (even Gene Simmons, who shows he can still be creepy even without the face-paint and regalia).
It's not a great film, but certainly enough chemistry to make it a solid Google.
