Roland Emmerich's Sci-fi drama/thriller(-lite) 'Moon 44' impressed me with its special f/x and industrial outer zone set-designs (obviously influenced by the likes of Alien, Blade Runner, Outland etc). Dark, shadowy and grungy, fitting for a mining colony. However other then that... very little else did with this dull and talky film.
Flat and cliched dramatics populate an already less than engaging story (involving competing multinational mining corporations, an undercover corporate agent and missing shuttles), which by the end doesn't eventuate to all that much. When it wants to thrill, the impact is minor and the build-up for this isn't worth the payoff. It's repetitive imagery and actions in a very limited scope. Like constantly watching a helicopter manoeuvre through a canyon in poor visibility or wait around for the tension to erupt between the pilots (a bunch of hardened criminals) and their navigators (technical teen wizards). No real excitement here.
Michael Paré is an adequate lead in his generic role, but across from him Malcolm McDowell is wasted. Too low-key for my liking. The support fair much better with character actors like Brian Thompson, Stephen Geoffreys and Leon Rippy as a ball-busting master sergeant.
Flat and cliched dramatics populate an already less than engaging story (involving competing multinational mining corporations, an undercover corporate agent and missing shuttles), which by the end doesn't eventuate to all that much. When it wants to thrill, the impact is minor and the build-up for this isn't worth the payoff. It's repetitive imagery and actions in a very limited scope. Like constantly watching a helicopter manoeuvre through a canyon in poor visibility or wait around for the tension to erupt between the pilots (a bunch of hardened criminals) and their navigators (technical teen wizards). No real excitement here.
Michael Paré is an adequate lead in his generic role, but across from him Malcolm McDowell is wasted. Too low-key for my liking. The support fair much better with character actors like Brian Thompson, Stephen Geoffreys and Leon Rippy as a ball-busting master sergeant.