Viewed in
2010
Premise
Arnold Schwarzenegger dreams that he was a secret agent on Mars. Turns out he was!
Liked
Special effects, the premise.
Thoughts
Better than I expected. Even with the hype from my friends.
For an action flick, the story was quite good. It was plausible and interesting, with secret agents, aliens, mutants, and mind fudging. Just do not try to think twice about the plot twists, and you will not notice the holes much.
The special effects were fantastic and hardly appeared dated (though might be the standard def DVD I was watching). Director Paul Verhoeven (Robocop) did a good job of mixing computer graphics, miniatures, old fashioned stunts, and prosthetic make up to achieve the desired visuals. The puppetry for some of the mutant characters were so well-made, I was shocked it was not done by Jim Henson's company. Also, I especially enjoyed the gasping for air sequences.
For those hunkering for R-rated stuff, you will get your share of it here. The body count felt like three-digits worth and there were plenty of onscreen head shots, exploding blood packets and window-diving stunts. In addition, there were three exposed boobs.
Even twenty years later, the art direction and depiction of the future was pretty good. Some of it even came true. The future technology was not entirely outdated nor hilariously inaccurate.
While the story was smarter than most action movies, it still had plenty of flaws. Besides the ignorable logic of secret agent double-crossings, I also had to set aside some science knowledge, such as what Mars' core consists of.
The writing was not fantastic either. Even though Arnold was excellent (arguably his best performance) and Sharon Stone was more than a pretty face, the rest of the cast and characters were pretty bland. Lastly, the dialogue still had that cheesy 1980's vibe of forcing cuss words into every line.
Of Arnold's action flicks, it was quite enjoyable, thanks to some cool twists, a lot of action and wonderful special effects. I just doubt I would like it if I thought twice about the details.
What I would change
Nothing.
