Reviews (227)

Brad Pitt as Achilles
Brad Pitt stars as the legendary Greek warrior Achilles in "Troy," an epic drama full of action and adventure based on Homer's Iliad. Lovesick Prince Paris has run off with Helen to his land of Troy. Helen's husband wants her back, and convinces Greek King Agamemnon to "launch a thousand ships" and bring Helen back. The King enlists the aid of Achilles, and the battle begins.

On the plus side, the movie looks just great, with spectacular sets and thousands of soldiers who fight gallantly. The supporting cast is wonderful; in particular Eric Bana as Paris' brother, Hector, and Peter O'Toole as his father, King Prium. Their scenes are the best in the film.

On the down side, Brad Pitt, while ruggedly handsome and sincere, never really loses himself in the character of an ancient Greek hero; you can't forget he's Brad Pitt. The actress who plays Helen is not the classic beauty one would expect and looks like so many modern starlets. The battle scenes are for the most part filmed in close-ups and edited in very quick shots, which makes them look blurry and chaotic, and you may need a scorecard to keep up with all the characters.

Troy has the look and feel of a good epic, but isn't a great one. If you enjoy sword and sandal war movies with handsome leading men, you'll like Troy. Brad Pitt is delicious eye-candy and that just may be good enough after all.

A Beautiful War
If you happen to be a fan of Homer's epic, be warned that it is time, place, and character that are the same but not truly the story. Filled with beautiful people, scenes and clothes, this movie misses the mark. Helen could no more inspire me to go to dinner than to war and I need to eat to live. Orlando Bloom as Paris, is so beautiful of a boy that it is unbelievable that he would have the requirements needed to steal another man's wife, no matter how usavory the other man proved to be. Yet he would be just the fool to wage a ten year war over a woman. Only in the movie the war accounts for slightly over 12 days worth of action.
How the Greeks managed to be so hard up that after 12 days or so of war they need to build a wooden horse to enter the city is beyond me.

However Hector is amazingly played as are most of the other roles, with the exception of Achilles who falters here and there. You manage to be blinded by the beauty of the spectcale presented to you, and when you begin to object to the brusing of Homer's great works you see Brad Pitt semi-naked and forget all about it. For that alone I give this move 3stars and well worth seeing. You should know, that if you plan to see this move instead of reading the book you will fail. Neither is this movie a match to the TV movie of the Odyssey which manages to capature the book and you along with it. But Brad Pitt naked should not be missed.

Not Homer, but great, lively entertainment!
OK, so the film's not faithful to Homer's epic. That doesn't really matter. It's good, old-fashioned entertainment with lots of spectacle, fine battle scenes, gorgeous performers (mostly male), and some fine acting. Critics tend to penalize Brad Pitt for his remarkable good looks, but he does a very nice job here. His Achilles, of course, looks godlike whether in armor or in the buff, but he also conveys an undercurrent of humanity, even sensitivity, beneath the sullen, violence-prone facade. Eric Bana is also excellent as the stoic, honorable Hector. Brian Cox has a hammy old time as Agammemon, and Peter O'Toole is memorable as Priam. Two pretty faces, Orlando Bloom's and Ms. Kruger's, don't do much for the movie acting-wise, but provide some eye candy for the younger viewers. Quibbles: it would have been nice to have a little greenery in the scenery instead of all that sand, but the walls and city of Troy looked spectacular. All in all, "Troy" is worth seeing more than once (perhaps not for those under the age of 12).

What was the name of this movie???
I don't think it was Troy! Why? Because it had nothing to do with the written story by Homer. Menelaus dies only because he has to be the bad guy in this movie... and there wasn't enough time to show the real death of Agamemnon, (he was killed in his bath by his own wife after returning to Greece) , so they killed him in a way they liked best. Also, Achilles (Brad Pitt) and Hector are the only ones who fight quite well. The rest just get slaughtered. But as we know from the Iliad there were also other great fighters which in this film were left at home! The only strong thing in this movie is Brad Pitts performance but he alone can't save this fiasko! The t.v. movie HELEN OF TROY is closer to the true story although its low budget and this unbelievable and unexeptable bald Achilles... Just read the book! You will love it!

"This will be the greatest war the world has ever seen"
Hollywood's recent obsession with historical epics has produced some truly amazing films... and some truly not. "Troy", mercifully, falls into the former category. The whole production was a risky endeavor; would mainstream audiences be interested in ages old myths? Would scholars and classics devotees condemn the film for it's reworking of Homer's "The Iliad"? And of course there was the expensive price tag; $200+ million, which brought to mind the similarly-themed and legendarily pricey box office bomb, "Cleopatra". Though never quite reaching such wondrous heights as historical epics such as "Braveheart" and "Gladiator" and not earning enough domestically to make a profit, "Troy" succeeds as a fine film reminiscent of old Hollywood epics such as "El Cid" and "Ben Hur".

The production values are simply astounding. Wolfgang Peterson's flawless reproduction of Ancient Greece engulfs audiences in the wonder and glory of the age. The breathtaking cinematography by Roger Pratt makes this a film best seen on the silver screen. From the pulse-pounding battle sequences to the sweeping shots of the Greek fleet that shall be emblazoned in my mind forever, this is a truly handsome film. James Horner creates yet another pitch perfect score that works perfectly with the film's visual style.

The acting chops of Brad Pitt are (quite literally at times, ladies) put to good use here. It is my belief, and one that is most certainly not shared by all, that Pitt is a wonderful and versatile actor. Consider some of his most prominent roles; as Death in "Meet Joe Black", a vampire in "Interview with the Vampire", a criminal in "Ocean's 11", a mental patient in "12 Monkeys", a cowboy in "Thelma and Louise", an Irish boxer in "Snatch", a detective in "Seven" and on and on. This boy has talent! He proves himself even further with the role of Achilles. Pitt 100% becomes the legendary fighter, from the body to the mannerisms to the swordplay. He IS Achilles. I pity all actors who have played Achilles or will play him in a future film; their performances are/will be tremendously dwarfed in comparison. The rest of the cast; Brian Cox, Brendan Gleeson, Diane Kruger, and Eric Bana are all fantastic with the exception of Orlando Bloom, who proves without a doubt that a handsome face does not equal talent. Bloom should take notes from fellow heartthrob Pitt, who does indeed know how to act!

Like the old Hollywood epics, "Troy" does regrettably lack that certain level of emotional pull and human drama that modern audiences demand (i.e. don't expect to be sobbing uncontrollably by its finale as you might very well have done in "Braveheart"). "Troy" and old Hollywood epics also share a certain level of melodrama and almost joyful corniness. Audiences nowadays dislike this style of filmmaking, yet I found myself embracing it simply because it helped to make "Tory" even more old Hollywood. ... Read more

Reviews (199)

"Get off my plane!" President Marshall exclaims!
That line itself is the most classic line of all from this smash hit! Harrison Ford plays the president who after making it clear to the world he will never negotiate with terrorists falls victim to a terrorists hijack of Air Force One! The president is pressed to the ultimate limit when his wife and daughter are held hostage by a Russian goon (Played so deliciously by Gary Oldman)! With the fates of the world & his family both hanging in balance, it up to the president to kick some ... Although the dialog & action is 100% macho, some of the CGI effects for Air Force One leave much to be desired. When you see the end of the movie, you'll know what I mean! Still it has heart and attitude which makes it out to be a true action classic!

Not Unflawed, But Still Superior To Most Action Films
Despite a plot that strains credibility at times, AIR FORCE ONE is still a superior action film thanks to the always-reliable Harrison Ford and the steady hand of German director Wolfgang Petersen (DAS BOOT; IN THE LINE OF FIRE).

Ford portrays President James Marshall, who has just given a speech decrying international terrorism and warning those that would use terrorism for political purpose, "Your day is over." But when a truly despicable Russian national (Gary Oldman) and his men forcibly take over the President's plane, holding not only his staff, but even more importantly his wife and daughter, as hostages, Ford is forced to take matters into his own hands. The result is not always plausible, and some of the special effects don't work quite as well as they should, but one cannot fault the film's pace or the tension and excitement inherent in the story.

Ever since playing Han Solo in STAR WARS and Indiana Jones in RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, Ford has developed into a leading man of the action genre--the thinking man's action hero. That aspect blossomed in PATRIOT GAMES, CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER, and, especially THE FUGITIVE; and here in AIR FORCE ONE he gets to play the most important man in the world. He does it with considerable style. Glenn Close was also a cagey choice to play the first female vice-president, and she does this with incredible fortitude. William H. Macy and Dean Stockwell are equally fine in supporting roles as part of the President's staff. And Oldman, whose performance as Oswald in Oliver Stone's JFK was a miracle performance, is equally superlative as the villain, matching the Bruce Willis/Alan Rickman pairing in DIE HARD.

Petersen's direction, despite some missteps, never allowed the film to sag; and Jerry Goldsmith's music score is appropriately patriotic without being sickeningly so, and always suspense-building. This is a film well worth watching. Don't miss it, especially if you're a fan of such situational thrillers.

A real struggle to enjoy
On one level, this is a highly entertaining, action-packed, moderately complex, engaging film. The President's plane is highjacked by a group of Russian terrorists who support a renegade, imprisoned, Russian general, and they want him released, or else Air Force One, the President, and many of his Cabinet members go kaboom! Harrison Ford, as the President, steps up to the plate, and with a little help from his friends, we get a Hollywood ending.

Why only two stars then? There are elements of dramatic license in most films, but this movie might have broken my personal record for me having to say to myself, "Well, that can't happen, but it's just a movie." Firing machine guns in an airplane without losing pressure? Losing pressure, but the right people hold on and survive? The list goes on and on. This pushes suspension of disbelief almost as far as "The Wizard of Oz" and it could have been much more realistic with only a few modifications. Don't waste your time and money, unless you seek pure fantasy and are very tolerant of illogic.

In the top List
This movie is in the Top list of the most STUPID movies of all time. Is tied with Independence Day, The Patriot an others. If you are givng 5 stars, think about it for a second PLEASE. The president saves the world with his hands. I'm anti commuist but I don't like the Anti communist messages that seem they re made for a Captain American Comic. Seriously. This movie is STUPID. Hollywood always convince peole with non-realistic stories (A movie can be far from the Truth but not THIS far!!!).1997 is too late to be still showing the communist Russias as the danger. But anyway, it worked. I didn't see it at the movies but in my mind I can see and listen the people cheering when Ford says "Get off my plane". Glenn Close and useles looks so funny here. The opposite to Cheney that is the one that controls the States today. I felt sick of the "daddy", "mr president",etc. I felt sick when I saw the way the terrorists got into the plain. And I felt sick when I saw the good old General (Like if we haven't had enough of those in movies related to any scene with a riffle assault) that knows that his boy can fight because of his experience in Vietnam (surprise, surprise...First time we see a Vietnam veteran in a movie fighting against communist forces). Please avoid this stupidity. The reason is simple. I said it before and I'll say again. This movie is Stupid

Bare bonus DVD. Shallow Movie
With TROY now playing in theaters, and it being a big budget/zero substance movie...It is not surprising because AIR FORCE ONE was exactly the same type movie. Harrison Ford is in a thankless role in both a poorly written/and now much more realistic type picture then anyone would care to admitt. There is nothing to like about this movie, it speaks of shotty production values and zero story. Something that Hollywood shamelessly does now and it just stinks. ... Read more

Reviews (219)

Nostalgia for children of the 80's
Let's face it. Most of us who rate this movie highly do so because it invokes all those rosy-hued memories of our childhood decade. One only has to bring it up to another Gen-Y-er, or whistle a few bars of the opening theme song, to see eyes light up with recognition amid wistful sighs for a more innocent time.
It is the characters and rich settings that pull this film off.
Leads Barret Oliver and Noah Hathaway are both on the verge of being too beautiful to be boys. They display a rare depth for young actors, Oliver's over-dramatic portrayal being unbelievable only for those who are never around play-acting children. Hathaway's subtle facial expressions are riveting, and he deserves respect if for no other reason than for nearly carrying the entire movie. The breathtaking Tami Stromach as the Childlike Empress was every young girl's dream character before the era of the Disney Princess, and she played her enigmatic role with suitable poise and mystery. Who of this generation did NOT, sometime in their childhood, convene with schoolyard cronies to "play Neverending Story" and then argue about who would "be" the Empress, Atreyu, or Bastian? Obviously these characters strike a chord with kids.
The story bears a somewhat faint resemblance to the book on which it is based, though the original author was so dissapointed with the result that he did not want his name associated with the film in any way. I have read the book, and found it to be rich in imagination, depth, and dare I say it, moral psychology, much of which contrives to be muddy and confusing to very young readers. The film simplifies it rather starkly, but in a way I think is satisfying. Classic themes of identity, of an underdog's triumph, of imagination empowering reality, are clearly emphasized. Complaints that the movie ends halfway through the book are valid, but the truth is that the book almost becomes two stories, with the second half diverging wildly from the pacing and characterization of the first, and to try and fit it all into a two-hour film would have done neither film nor book proper justice.
Special effects were groundbreaking for the time, some more successful than others. I didn't realize until several years ago that Engywook and Urgle were supposed to be tiny gnome-like creatures! I always assumed, even as a child, that they were exactly what they are - normal sized people shot in skewed perspective with Atreyu. It wasn't until noticing that they used different sized props between them and Atreyu that I realized the perspective was actually deliberately forced! Ah well...it was a long way to Lord of the Rings.
A few complaints: some sets seem cramped. The scene in which the "ambassadors" from all over Fantasia approach the Ivory Tower sets it up as an enormous landmark where masses of representatives from every one of the no-doubt vast peoples are to convene, yet when we are given an internal view of the structure, we see a claustrophobic ballroom in which a handful of creatures loiter, and in spite of their various weird and fantastic appearances, we are given no more than a brief glimpse of a few. Costumes of the leads are simple and convincing, though.
Altogether, an enjoyable movie, and one I will definitely show my own children. There are some dark moments for kids not yet jaded by too much modern special-effects violence, so use caution. And please, please, spare anyone else from the appalling sequels...part II had little merit and was vaguely eerie, and part III was not only frankly awful as a film but downright blasphemous from the literary perspective.

Probably the best fantasy movie of all time!
"The Neverending Story" is a great fantasy movie from the 80s about a boy named Bastian (Barret Oliver) picturing a story unfold as he reads it from a book called "The Neverending Story." In this fantasy-filled story, a great land called Fantasia is being destroyed by a terrible enemy called the Nothing. It's up to a boy named Atreyu (Noah Hathaway) to find The Childlike Empress (Tami Stronach) and help her before Fantasia and all its habitants get wiped away completely. Atreyu is the only one that has a chance of rescuing Fantasia because he's a warrior and he doesn't know it yet, but he will make many new friends along the way, including one very special friend named Falkor that happens to be a dragon that looks kind of like a dog.

I'll leave it up to you to watch "The Neverending Story" and find out what happens, but I don't recommend watching it. I recommend buying it instead. A lot of people probably think that "The Neverending Story" is a movie that is only suit for kids, but they're wrong. I used to watch this movie with my mom all the time when I was a kid, and now I'm 21, and I still enjoy the movie just as much now, if not more than I did when I was a kid.

When you or your kids first watch "The Neverending Story," neither of you will probably remember everything about the movie, but what you will remember are the spectacular special effects and the entertaining characters such as Falkor the dragon, a HUGE rock creature, the mean wolf, a giant turtle that has a face that resembles that of E.T., and many other interesting creatures. But trust me, whoever you are, you will want to watch this movie over and over again for years to come and you will learn new things about it every time you watch it.

"The Neverending Story" not only has its special effects and plot working full force for it, it also has great acting and an unforgettable and catchy soundtrack.

"The Neverending Story" is in my opinion one of the best movies that a kid can watch for many reasons, but it's a great movie for ANYBODY of any age to watch, especially if you're a kid at heart. When I say that a movie is probably the best ever made in its genre, I don't exaggerate any, I compare it to all the others that I've seen of its type. Therefore, you know that I really do like "The Neverending Story" a lot! Purchase "The Neverending Story" for yourself or for someone you care about as soon as you can. You won't regret it!

Triumph of human Imagination
Sir Adam got it almost right! Good review, by the way.

This is an awesome story about the importance of the story. Yes, the moral lesson of "The Neverending Story" is the importance of the story itself (and by extension the importance of human imagination). If one has read some of Joseph Campbell's "The Power of Myth" one understands this completely. It is that Native American idea of "he who does not have the stories has nothing."

The key force of destruction in this tale is "the Nothing" literally non-existence or the lack of imagination. The world in which "The Neverending Story" takes place, Fantasia, is a conglomerate universe composed of the dreams and hopes of all people. Every story ever told and every character who has ever lived exists somewhere in Fantasia. So that somewhere in Fantasia, Paul Atreides wanders a desert landscape while somewhere else in Fantasia Alice falls down the rabbit hole.

Fantasia, this conglomerate world of human dreams, is dying. The reason is that people in the real world no longer dream... of anything. It is a very modern tale about the death of the human capacity to, as John Lennon put it, IMAGINE. Without the capability to imagine anything, people become easily manipulated by forces greater than them... this is where the real villain comes in (more about that after the next paragraph).

The main protagonist, Atreyu, is the alter ego of the real life boy who is reading the story. The real life boy, therefore, is filled with imagination, brimming with it, in fact. He exists in a real world where nobody imagines anything anymore. Therefore, the alter ego (in Fantasia) of the real life boy with imagination is a young champion who is trying to save imagination itself and its conglomerate world, Fantasia.

The real villain of the story is, at least from a Christian context, Lucifer, or the Devil himself. He is the "force behind the Nothing" who is attempting the death of all imagination. This explains the creature known as the Morg. As Sir Adam mentioned in his review, this is the major adversary for Atreyu (and the real life boy who is his generator). The Morg is, in his own words, "a servant of the force behind the Nothing." The Morg is, I believe, a demon, or fallen angel servant who has somehow crossed the border into Fantasia and put on the guise of that mythical creature of destruction, the werewolf. The Wolf image is only a guise used by the demon to try to blend in with his surroundings.

Of course, we know who wins in the end. This is a very complex movie and a VERY relevant one to the times in which we are living. I see people around me who are quite literally mental cripples who are incapable of imagination. Without the stories, we are nothing.

Best fantasy of the 80s
I grew up on this movie, but I hadn't seen it in years until I bought this DVD. I view it with and adult's perception now, so it's not as good for me as it was when I was a kid. However, because I can see that kids would love it, I think it still holds up well. Heck, I still like it.

I wish this DVD had more special features, but alas it does not. What really bothered me was that it didn't have a subtitle for when Bastian shouts out a name for the Child-like Empress. I was so looking forward to finally finding out what the heck he shouts out for her name, and I get nothing. But I researched it on the net, and apparently it's "Moon Child." It does sound like that's what he's shouting. But I'm baffled that that was his mother's name (unless he changed his mind further into the film and decided to give the Empress a random name rather than his mother's).

So overall, the movie's good and the DVD is so-so. Great picture and sound quality, but no special features and no subtitle for when he shouts out the Empress' new name. But it's the only one in the series worth buying I think. Well, maybe the second one was ok.

Speaking as an adult
Having only seen this movie for the first time two years ago, I beg to differ with those who claim that it's allure is lost to those not having been exposed to it at an early age. What makes this movie significantly superior to many other such children's films is heartful, caring use of non computer generated special effects. The challenge comes with letting yourself go on the wings or backs of the several beautifully crafted creatures we share this adventure with. It's shabby chic artisty is everywhere to be found including that great Moroder new wavey score. The best film fantasy film since the 80's? Quite possibly. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Wolfgang Petersen (In the Line of Fire) made his first English-language film with this 1984 fantasy about a boy (Barret Oliver) visualizing the stories of a book he's reading. The imagined tale involves another boy, a warrior (Noah Hathaway), and his efforts to save the empire of Fantasia from a nemesis called the Nothing. Whether or not the scenario sticks in the memory, what does linger are the unique effects, which are not quite like anything else. Plenty of good fairy-tale characters and memorable scenes, and the film even encourages kids to read. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (219)

Nostalgia for children of the 80's
Let's face it. Most of us who rate this movie highly do so because it invokes all those rosy-hued memories of our childhood decade. One only has to bring it up to another Gen-Y-er, or whistle a few bars of the opening theme song, to see eyes light up with recognition amid wistful sighs for a more innocent time.
It is the characters and rich settings that pull this film off.
Leads Barret Oliver and Noah Hathaway are both on the verge of being too beautiful to be boys. They display a rare depth for young actors, Oliver's over-dramatic portrayal being unbelievable only for those who are never around play-acting children. Hathaway's subtle facial expressions are riveting, and he deserves respect if for no other reason than for nearly carrying the entire movie. The breathtaking Tami Stromach as the Childlike Empress was every young girl's dream character before the era of the Disney Princess, and she played her enigmatic role with suitable poise and mystery. Who of this generation did NOT, sometime in their childhood, convene with schoolyard cronies to "play Neverending Story" and then argue about who would "be" the Empress, Atreyu, or Bastian? Obviously these characters strike a chord with kids.
The story bears a somewhat faint resemblance to the book on which it is based, though the original author was so dissapointed with the result that he did not want his name associated with the film in any way. I have read the book, and found it to be rich in imagination, depth, and dare I say it, moral psychology, much of which contrives to be muddy and confusing to very young readers. The film simplifies it rather starkly, but in a way I think is satisfying. Classic themes of identity, of an underdog's triumph, of imagination empowering reality, are clearly emphasized. Complaints that the movie ends halfway through the book are valid, but the truth is that the book almost becomes two stories, with the second half diverging wildly from the pacing and characterization of the first, and to try and fit it all into a two-hour film would have done neither film nor book proper justice.
Special effects were groundbreaking for the time, some more successful than others. I didn't realize until several years ago that Engywook and Urgle were supposed to be tiny gnome-like creatures! I always assumed, even as a child, that they were exactly what they are - normal sized people shot in skewed perspective with Atreyu. It wasn't until noticing that they used different sized props between them and Atreyu that I realized the perspective was actually deliberately forced! Ah well...it was a long way to Lord of the Rings.
A few complaints: some sets seem cramped. The scene in which the "ambassadors" from all over Fantasia approach the Ivory Tower sets it up as an enormous landmark where masses of representatives from every one of the no-doubt vast peoples are to convene, yet when we are given an internal view of the structure, we see a claustrophobic ballroom in which a handful of creatures loiter, and in spite of their various weird and fantastic appearances, we are given no more than a brief glimpse of a few. Costumes of the leads are simple and convincing, though.
Altogether, an enjoyable movie, and one I will definitely show my own children. There are some dark moments for kids not yet jaded by too much modern special-effects violence, so use caution. And please, please, spare anyone else from the appalling sequels...part II had little merit and was vaguely eerie, and part III was not only frankly awful as a film but downright blasphemous from the literary perspective.

Probably the best fantasy movie of all time!
"The Neverending Story" is a great fantasy movie from the 80s about a boy named Bastian (Barret Oliver) picturing a story unfold as he reads it from a book called "The Neverending Story." In this fantasy-filled story, a great land called Fantasia is being destroyed by a terrible enemy called the Nothing. It's up to a boy named Atreyu (Noah Hathaway) to find The Childlike Empress (Tami Stronach) and help her before Fantasia and all its habitants get wiped away completely. Atreyu is the only one that has a chance of rescuing Fantasia because he's a warrior and he doesn't know it yet, but he will make many new friends along the way, including one very special friend named Falkor that happens to be a dragon that looks kind of like a dog.

I'll leave it up to you to watch "The Neverending Story" and find out what happens, but I don't recommend watching it. I recommend buying it instead. A lot of people probably think that "The Neverending Story" is a movie that is only suit for kids, but they're wrong. I used to watch this movie with my mom all the time when I was a kid, and now I'm 21, and I still enjoy the movie just as much now, if not more than I did when I was a kid.

When you or your kids first watch "The Neverending Story," neither of you will probably remember everything about the movie, but what you will remember are the spectacular special effects and the entertaining characters such as Falkor the dragon, a HUGE rock creature, the mean wolf, a giant turtle that has a face that resembles that of E.T., and many other interesting creatures. But trust me, whoever you are, you will want to watch this movie over and over again for years to come and you will learn new things about it every time you watch it.

"The Neverending Story" not only has its special effects and plot working full force for it, it also has great acting and an unforgettable and catchy soundtrack.

"The Neverending Story" is in my opinion one of the best movies that a kid can watch for many reasons, but it's a great movie for ANYBODY of any age to watch, especially if you're a kid at heart. When I say that a movie is probably the best ever made in its genre, I don't exaggerate any, I compare it to all the others that I've seen of its type. Therefore, you know that I really do like "The Neverending Story" a lot! Purchase "The Neverending Story" for yourself or for someone you care about as soon as you can. You won't regret it!

Triumph of human Imagination
Sir Adam got it almost right! Good review, by the way.

This is an awesome story about the importance of the story. Yes, the moral lesson of "The Neverending Story" is the importance of the story itself (and by extension the importance of human imagination). If one has read some of Joseph Campbell's "The Power of Myth" one understands this completely. It is that Native American idea of "he who does not have the stories has nothing."

The key force of destruction in this tale is "the Nothing" literally non-existence or the lack of imagination. The world in which "The Neverending Story" takes place, Fantasia, is a conglomerate universe composed of the dreams and hopes of all people. Every story ever told and every character who has ever lived exists somewhere in Fantasia. So that somewhere in Fantasia, Paul Atreides wanders a desert landscape while somewhere else in Fantasia Alice falls down the rabbit hole.

Fantasia, this conglomerate world of human dreams, is dying. The reason is that people in the real world no longer dream... of anything. It is a very modern tale about the death of the human capacity to, as John Lennon put it, IMAGINE. Without the capability to imagine anything, people become easily manipulated by forces greater than them... this is where the real villain comes in (more about that after the next paragraph).

The main protagonist, Atreyu, is the alter ego of the real life boy who is reading the story. The real life boy, therefore, is filled with imagination, brimming with it, in fact. He exists in a real world where nobody imagines anything anymore. Therefore, the alter ego (in Fantasia) of the real life boy with imagination is a young champion who is trying to save imagination itself and its conglomerate world, Fantasia.

The real villain of the story is, at least from a Christian context, Lucifer, or the Devil himself. He is the "force behind the Nothing" who is attempting the death of all imagination. This explains the creature known as the Morg. As Sir Adam mentioned in his review, this is the major adversary for Atreyu (and the real life boy who is his generator). The Morg is, in his own words, "a servant of the force behind the Nothing." The Morg is, I believe, a demon, or fallen angel servant who has somehow crossed the border into Fantasia and put on the guise of that mythical creature of destruction, the werewolf. The Wolf image is only a guise used by the demon to try to blend in with his surroundings.

Of course, we know who wins in the end. This is a very complex movie and a VERY relevant one to the times in which we are living. I see people around me who are quite literally mental cripples who are incapable of imagination. Without the stories, we are nothing.

Best fantasy of the 80s
I grew up on this movie, but I hadn't seen it in years until I bought this DVD. I view it with and adult's perception now, so it's not as good for me as it was when I was a kid. However, because I can see that kids would love it, I think it still holds up well. Heck, I still like it.

I wish this DVD had more special features, but alas it does not. What really bothered me was that it didn't have a subtitle for when Bastian shouts out a name for the Child-like Empress. I was so looking forward to finally finding out what the heck he shouts out for her name, and I get nothing. But I researched it on the net, and apparently it's "Moon Child." It does sound like that's what he's shouting. But I'm baffled that that was his mother's name (unless he changed his mind further into the film and decided to give the Empress a random name rather than his mother's).

So overall, the movie's good and the DVD is so-so. Great picture and sound quality, but no special features and no subtitle for when he shouts out the Empress' new name. But it's the only one in the series worth buying I think. Well, maybe the second one was ok.

Speaking as an adult
Having only seen this movie for the first time two years ago, I beg to differ with those who claim that it's allure is lost to those not having been exposed to it at an early age. What makes this movie significantly superior to many other such children's films is heartful, caring use of non computer generated special effects. The challenge comes with letting yourself go on the wings or backs of the several beautifully crafted creatures we share this adventure with. It's shabby chic artisty is everywhere to be found including that great Moroder new wavey score. The best film fantasy film since the 80's? Quite possibly. ... Read more

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Tom Berenger stars as an amnesiac who investigates his life before a car wreck took his memory, and finds that things were not all they should have been. The promising mystery gets less interesting as the script becomes more perfunctorily complicated, and a crucial plot twist toward the end throws the story onto a different track rather than letting the existing one grow richer through better characters. People don't count as much as surprises do in this film, so in that sense Shattered is a passable potboiler, no more and no less. Wolfgang Petersen (In the Line of Fire) capably directs, but even he can't work depth into the margins. Solid supporting performances from Greta Scacchi, Bob Hoskins, and Joanne Whalley-Kilmer. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Shattered Mind
Great Wolfgang Petersen mystery! When Tom Berenger awakes from a bad car accident he finds he can not remember much. He begins to see flashbacks and his conversations with others help him to realize who he really was and who was murdered. This is one of the better movies I have seen Berenger in and I enjoyed it. Good supporting cast, music, and sets. Well worth owning on DVD. If you like this be sure to catch Tom in "Shoot To Kill" which will also be out on DVD soon and in "Sniper".

Very entertaining thriller!
When is this film going to be on DVD?

A well-styled thriller mystery with a great cast. Tom Berenger does well as a confused amnesiac who just wants to get to the truth behind his accident--even if it means he discovers things he doesn't really want to know. The ever-lovable Bob Hoskins plays the detective who helps him uncover the truth. Greta Scacchi is his loyal wife (with perhaps a few secrets?).

This film is very engrossing and entertaining. Even though I usually can guess the way a mystery movie is going to go (I am getting pretty good at predicting "who dunnit") this movie had a few more twists that I anticipated. I really enjoyed the surprises in the plot.

There are some unanswered questions left unanswered, and more than a few plot holes. But still--don't let that keep you from enjoying the mystery. It's a greatly entertaining tale. It certainly is due for a DVD version!

Shattered is no. 1
I gave this movie 5 stars because it is ,in my opinion, one of the best suspense movies. The whole time, this movie leaves you guessing. Just when you think Merrick finds his memory ,you guessed it. It's shattered again! All the cast,from Tom Berenger to Bob Hoskins are brilliant.The writing and directing were wonderful.

Shattered - DVD
I have several VHS tapes that are many years old. Their quality is starting to deteriorate. With all of the really dumb movies out on DVD I can't believe that Shattered has not been released on DVD.

Shattered
Very, very good flick, one of my personal favorites. I loved the suspense & the ending kept me hanging! I wish there was a copy on dvd as I would love to buy one! ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

This is the restored, 209-minute director's cut of Wolfgang Petersen's harrowing and claustrophobic U-boat thriller, which was theatrically rereleased in 1997. Originally made as a five-hour miniseries, this version devotes more time to getting to know the crew before they and their stoic captain (Jürgen Prochnow) get aboard their U-boat and find themselves stranded at the bottom of the sea. Das Boot puts you inside that submerged vessel and explores the physical and emotional tensions of the situation with a vivid, terrifying realism that few movies can match. As Petersen tightens the screws and the submerged ship blows bolts, the pressure builds to such unbearable levels that you may be tempted to escape for a nice walk on solid land in the great outdoors--only you wouldn't dream of looking away from the screen. --Jim Emerson ... Read more

Reviews (239)

Subperb Movie
I consider Wolfgang Petersen as one of the most talented visionary directors in the history of the cinema. 'Das Boot' is an instant classic and one of the greatest movies I have ever had the honor of viewing. The atmosphere, characters, situations, and attention to detail make this movie a must watch...especially since the DVD has English dubbing for you non German speakers. The story is simple...but OH So powerfull. A submarine sets off from port on its dangerous voyage of seek-and-destroy. At first, the mariners are eager and youthful...but as time passes and they sink their first ship, they become aware of the horrors of war and age into old men from within. Soon after, they receive a special order to penetrate the narrow Gibraltar Strait and thus set off for what has become one of the most memorable collection of events in movie history.

'Das Boot' captures the dissilusionment that grows like the mold within the submarine, the horror of the submarine moniker 'floating coffins', and the human spirit that prevails.

If this movie does not touch you, if this movie does not move you, if this movie does not inspire you, then you must be cold- dead.

REAL, POWERFUL DESPITE CRAMPED FEEL & CHEESY DUBBING
Be warned, regardless of the paeans you've heard sung to the movie, it is very 80s. It will begin VERY slowly, and won't let up until the end. A quasi-documentary format doesn't really do much to assuage the expectations you may have from a real Movie either.

We watch like bystanders as a German crew steers a U-Boat into the war. The movie is almost entirely indoors (inside a U-Boat, i.e.) which lends it an extremely cramped feel. Filmed in steadycam, the picture moves straight across the claustrophobic hall of the submarine. There is barely enough place for one man to stand and this feeling is expertly conveyed to film thanks to Jost Vacano's excellent cinematography.

As you may imagine with any movie of this general cadre, the theme actually couches a strong anti-war message. Our protagonist Capitain may have been under the reign of Hitler, but he didn't really look up to him. Barbs at almost everything related to the Fuerer abound. The strongest message is delivered in the film's denouement when the crew of our U-Boat faces the biggest dilemma: to save the drowning enemy men because they are human beings, or to let them shrivel and die because they are enemies. Poignant!

Caveats:

(1) A lot of the miniseries look blatantly filmed in a studio, nearly like like the opening sequence of Gilligan's Island. As much as I admire the realism, these cheesy effects do bring down the movie.

(2) If you don't mind subtitles, then watch the movie in its original Deutsche with English subtitles. The English dubbing is horrendous.

(3) Like all documentaries, there isn't much place for character development. Most of the characters are basically one-note and have little to no personality.

None of this undermines the sheer power of the movie's message, and the claustrophobia conveyed on film. I wonder if the flick is as legendary as it is toted to be, but it's a must-have gem in any true war-movies collection.

Best War Movie Ever!!!
This is most definetly the best war movie I have ever seen. I have never seen anyone that has not taken interest in war after watching this movie. I have seen this movie many times and each time I learn something new. It is interesting to see how the other side was during WWII. I recommend this movie for anyone that has time to watch it.

The ultimate submarine movie
Ok. Step one, turn out all lights and isolate any external sound. Step two, crank the subwoofer UP. Step three, set the language to "german." Step four, get a couple of buckets of seawater to pour over one's head at the proper scene (this is optional).

No other submarine movie comes remotely close to depicting the claustrophobia and violence of undersea warfare as Das Boot. Before the movie, I had little sense of the suicidal missions that thousands of German seaman were subjected to even in the early years of WW2 - and for that matter, the equally ruthless way that speeding Allied convoys left the crews of sinking ships behind to freeze and drown in the North Atlantic. It was a particular act of courage and skill for the director to confine most of the action into a literal steel tube barely tall enough to stand in.

Das Boot MUST be watched in the original German, much like Pat Buchannan's "Kulturkampf" speech as the 1996 Republican Convention. For weeks after the seeing the movie the first time, I kept hearing "Alla-a-a-r-m!" and the ka-BWANG of exploding depth charges. Jurgen Prochmow has been wasted in a number of movies (e.g. "Dune"), but he beats out Connery, Gable and the rest as the best Captain around, alternatively ruthless and caring for his men.

This movie is so head and shoulders above subseqeunt films like U-571, any comparison would diminish the accolades this movie deserves.

The best epic german film ever made
Wolfang Petersen may be proud for all the eternity by this achievement. This film (just ten millions dollars in 1981)is a superb film.
You know so well when you're in front a masterpiece. That sensation which remains in your mind and your soul , a must reference and above all, it becomes an unforgettable memory in your brain.
The film is full of tension; claustrophobic, dramatic and powerfully haunting. The sequences of action are very well made; the script is very related to the book.The cast is outstanding. The handle of camera is BREATHTAKING, the camera is a sliding eye, nervous, it retains the anguish, the hopeless and that deathly taste you feel when you share the destiny of these man under that huge water pressure.
That film broke the walls of the standard market and soon became from 1982 in a classic film.
The question about if this film is anti war film is out of discussion. I don't think even if this issue is important. You must feel the evil experience of these men sent to a almost safe death in a sea surrounded by enemies forces.
Watch this movie.
And you'll understand why U-571 even his special effects is just a worthy tribute to Das Boot, the masterpiece of Wolfang Petersen. ... Read more

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When Warner Brothers was unable to secure the rights to Richard Preston's terrifying nonfiction book The Hot Zone (purchased by a rival studio), they took the basic idea of a fatal virus on the loose in the U.S., added Dustin Hoffman and director Wolfgang Petersen (Das Boot), and produced an unusual thriller--a surprise hit--called Outbreak. The other picture, slated to star Robert Redford and Jodie Foster, fell through. The premise of Outbreak, which owes something to Elia Kazan's 1950 plague-scare movie, Panic in the Streets, is as terrifying as it is timely. As developers slash their way deeper into the previously unexplored tropical rainforests, they are exposed to radically new forms of life, including diseases, that in these days of commonplace international travel could turn into deadly epidemics almost before we know it. Hoffman's character and his estranged wife (Rene Russo) are disease experts called in to identify the unknown killer, which was carried into the country by an illegally smuggled monkey.The best sequence shows the disease spreading--through recycled air on a passenger jet, or a sneeze in a crowded movie theater.The final chase is pretty conventional, but the cast is terrific, including Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey, Donald Sutherland, Cuba Gooding Jr., J.T. Walsh, and Zakes Mokae.--Jim Emerson ... Read more

Reviews (40)

Great Movie!!
Outbreak is a fantastic action/drama with a great, all-star cast.

Outbreak features the acting talent of Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, Morgan Freeman, Cuba Gooding Jr., Kevin Spacey and Donald Sutherland. Dustin Hoffman puts on one excellent performance throughout this film, and the supporting cast is nothing short of excellent. This thriller will keep you on the edge of the seat until the very end of the movie.

The DVD while lacking many special features, is still well worth owing. The crisp picture, theater sound, and low price makes this one well worth getting.

If you are a fan of any of the above actors, pick this one up!!!
You will not be disappointed.

Highly Recommended!!

A movie worth watching!
Outbreak, brings to the screen the likely scenario that a deadly virus (similar to the Ebola virus) spreads rapidly endangering mankind, and threatening life on Earth. The likelihood of such a phenomenon is presently great indeed (as it always has been i.e. the Black Death etc), and hopefully the film will get many people thinking.
The movie is very realistic in its approach, and conveys a much needed message of the dangers facing people, especially when dealing with viruses (how easily many of them spread e.g. an airborne virus in an airplane or a movie theater). Moreover, one realizes how the government would have to act in such an emergency and the type of use of the military one should expect in order to protect the majority of people that have yet to be infected and contain the spread of the disease.
Dustin Hoffman, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey, and Rene Russo, whose performances are simply amazing, make this movie one of the best of its kind.
The actors' great talent and chemistry clearly shows, thus providing a film that can be watched over and over again.
Resident Evil (Milla Jovovich) is another very good movie dealing with virus-related incidents/threats, though it falls much more under "Horror" than Outbreak, which is a more "Thriller/Action" type of film. Another movie that comes to mind is Twelve Monkeys (Bruce Willis, Brad Pitt, Medeleine Stowe), which is a futuristic/science fiction approach to similar virus-related threats to humanity.
In short, Outbreak is a very good movie, it's an eye opener, and very much worth watching!

Stop that Virus!
Viruses scare the bejesus out of people who spend any significant amount of time thinking about them. Stephen King has written a couple of horror stories where humanity is essentially destroyed by the flu. "Outbreak" taps into that primal fear and elevates a killer virus to a status cinematically usually only reserved for tornadoes, volcanoes, great white sharks or Godzillas. In Outbreak a bad virus is discovered in a deep dark place, carried by a cute monkey, and attempted to be stuffed into a military pandora's box.

Wolfgang Peterson knows how to make a suspenseful movie as he proved with "Das Boot" and "Air Force One" and here he gets to work with a cast that would be difficult to reproduce today with Dustin Hoffman, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey, Cuba Gooding, Jr, Rene Russo and Donald Sutherland.

There are a few cliches in the film. Sutherland plays a stereotypical military general who sneers as he orders the death of thousands of innocents in the name of "National Security" - but he does it with skill and enthusiasm. Morgan Freeman dispatches a bomber crew with a speech that could have been replaced word for word with the same speech Slim Pickens delivers to his bomber crew in "Dr. Strangelove" ("I know you have reservations about what you've been ordered to do..... you wouldn't be human if you didn't....")

There are several light-hearted moments, such as when Hoffman's Colonel is out in a helicopter flown by Gooding's Major and they all but acknowledge that they are the characters-in-a-disaster-movie-tasked-with-saving-humanity. "I don't need you to get negative on me now", Dustin says after Cuba summarizes the hopelessness of their situation. "Affirmative, Sir!"

Awesome
I loved this movie. That is all that can be said. That is all that is needed to be said.

Casualties of War.
"In war, truth is the first casualty." - Aeschylus.

In 1989, a secret U.S. Army SWAT team was called in after an Ebola outbreak among monkeys in a Reston, VA lab; a mere ten miles from Washington, D.C. They eventually determined that this particular strain wasn't contagious for humans - others, however, are; capable of producing a 90% mortality rate within a matter of days. The incident produced Richard Preston's bestselling book "The Hot Zone," on which this movie is loosely based (another project involving Robert Redford and Jodie Foster eventually folded).

Like the Reston Ebola strain, the (fictitious) Motaba virus at the center of Wolfgang Petersen's "Outbreak" is brought to the U.S. by an infected monkey, caught near a village in the Zairean (now: Congolese) Motaba Valley. Unlike the Reston Ebola it is contagious for humans, with a 100% mortality rate within a single day. And unlike any known Ebola strain it is airborne, i.e. not only transmitted by direct human-to-human contact.

Officially nobody has any prior knowledge of the virus at the time of its apparent first hit. In fact, once they've overcome their shock about its gruesome effects, USAMRIID Colonel Sam Daniels (Dustin Hoffman) and his assistants, Majors Schuler and Salt (Kevin Spacey and Cuba Gooding Jr.) - in Zaire to provide medical assistance - are downright ecstatic to have discovered a new virus; a once-in-a-lifetime event for most scientists, if it happens at all. What they don't know is that their own superiors, Brig.Gen. Billy Ford (Morgan Freeman) and Maj.Gen. Donald McClintock (Donald Sutherland) have encountered this virus before, albeit non-airborne, in a mercenary camp in 1967 ... and on McClintock's orders, firebombed the camp to secretly develop a biological weapon. Now McClintock insists that their knowledge remain secret even after a first Motaba outbreak in Boston, brought about by the Californian animal lab worker (Patrick Dempsey) who has unwittingly smuggled the carrier monkey out to sell it to a pet store; and after another outbreak in Cedar Creek, CA, transmitted through the pet store owner and a lab technician infected by his blood. McClintock's solution is the same as 30 years earlier: Firebomb the contaminated area and everybody in it, keep your weapon and be done with it.

But unlike 1967, complete secrecy is no longer an option, as not only Colonel Daniels's team but also his ex-wife Robby (Rene Russo), who is now with the CDC and has helped contain the Boston outbreak, is aware of the virus's presence. Thus, McClintock opts for the reverse strategy, obtains a presidential OK for his "Operation Clean Sweep" - after a dramatic presentation to the assembled cabinet resulting in the conclusion that the "bug" is capable of spreading to the entire country, including D.C., within a mere 48 hours; and the admonishment "Be compassionate, but be compassionate globally" - and orders Ford to get Daniels out of the way and keep him "in line."

Daniels, however, who has long earned a reputation for following orders rather selectively, rushes to Cedar Creek, to work alongside Robby and her team trying to contain the virus. In short order Ford and McClintock show up as well, and soon the town is crawling with soldiers, who seal it off to the outside world and implement a curfew, to prevent a further spread of the virus but also in preparation of "Operation Clean Sweep." A frantic race ensues; pitting Daniels and Salt, who set out to search for the host animal to develop an antiserum, against their own comrades.

The premise of "Outbreak" is entirely believable; as evidenced by the 1989 Virginia incident - after all, it was mere luck that the Reston strain didn't prove contagious for humans - and by the fact that, as is public knowledge, various kinds of viral strains do exist in the U.S. and other countries; at the very least for experimental purposes. While their military use is banned under the 1925 Geneva Protocol and the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention, there still is no functioning control mechanism in place (which was/is also a factor in the Iraq WMD debate). And although the U.S. is a signatory to both aforementioned instruments and has previously stated its non-use policy, the Bush government abandoned international discussions on the issue in 2001.

So, "Outbreak" addresses enormously important concerns; and it does so compellingly and with a stellar cast. Dustin Hoffman imbues his Colonel Daniels with tremendous compassion but also a great sense of humor; and his snappy exchanges with Russo's Robby Keough and his team are a delight, especially those with Kevin Spacey, who in 1995 burst into movie audiences' collective awareness with this film, the Oscar-winning "Usual Suspects" and "Se7en." Morgan Freeman brings all his sensitivity to the movie's most intricate role, General Ford, who is caught between being party to McClintock's scheme and realizing its profound immorality. Then-27-year-old Cuba Gooding Jr. may have been a bit young to play a Major, but he certainly stands his ground; and few actors can portray a villain as menacingly as Donald Sutherland, although the script gives him little opportunity for true complexity.

Unfortunately, "Outbreak" gets the full "Hollywood thriller" treatment, complete with dramatic score, two-dimensional villain, cliched ending and reliance on a few coincidences too many. This (and some plot inconsistencies) somewhat reduces its effect, preventing a good movie from becoming a truly great one - although its 'copter chases are pure eye candy; and it certainly helps that they were shot by Michael Ballhaus, arguably the business's best cameraman. But for the importance of its subject alone, and its outstanding cast, "Outbreak" is worth all the notice it has received.

"[The Cedar Creek population] are casualties of war. ... I'd give them all a medal if I could. But they *are* casualties of war." - "Outbreak," Maj.Gen. Donald McClintock.

"[N]o massacre has occurred ... no further action is warranted." - From the initial Department of the Army investigation report on the March 16, 1968 My Lai incident (Vietnam). ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Lizard-like Draconian Louis Gossett Jr. and his mortal enemy, earthling Dennis Quaid, crash-land on a hostile planet during a brutal space battle. Forced to rely on one another for survival, they overcome their differences and become fast friends. You can almost hear them break into an off-key version of "It's a Small World." German director Wolfgang Petersen, so brutally honest with his film Das Boot, turns warm and cuddly on us with this intergalactic buddy movie. Much of the problem, though, is that the script sets us up for an intriguing encounter, then settles for a simple and sentimental resolution. Noteworthy set design and strong performances, especially by Gossett, push this beyond mere mediocrity. His performance is fascinating, as he must speak in an alien tongue, which he maintains with artistry and consistency. --Rochelle O'Gorman ... Read more

Reviews (38)

A new twist on sci-fi
Enemy Mine is a great depiction of what we would do when confronted with our greatest fear/hate/loathing and forced to deal with or die.

Dennis Quaid and Louis Gossett Jr. are fantastic in this film! Quaid as the human astronaut is great, and gives a real sense of his loathing for the Drac species. His character's growth and change in attitude is very well done and a believable performance. Gossett is also remarkable as the Drac, and his portrayal of an asexual creature so different (and yet similar) to us is nothing short of extraordinary. He also grows, learning to love the human Quaid as a friend/brother and giving him the ultimate gift: his child.

The special effects may not be Academy-material, but they do the job well for this film. While this is science fiction, the story is what makes this film so great. I don't know if it would work in any other setting/genre, but it certainly works here. If you haven't seen this, watch it!

Good movie, a true tale of friendship
"Enemy Mine" was one of the good movies of the 80's. It's about an alien called a Drac (Louis Gossett, Jr.) and a human (Robert Quaid), who's species are brutal enemies. But they must learn to cooperate with each other to survive on the barren planet that they both crashed on.

"Enemy Mine" is a good movie in just about every way. The special effects, landscapes, and aliens are great. Quaid and Gossett Jr. also do a good job of acting. The movie drastically changes when one of them has a baby. If you like sci-fi movies, "Enemy Mine" would be a good movie to get. My only complaint is that it didn't have much action in it like many other classic sci-fi movies, but it's still a good movie.

Interesting but disjointed film.
Well into filming of "Enemy Mine",the director was sacked and replace by Wolfgang Peterson whom had the previous director's footage destroyed as to avoid comparisons. A pity as that footage would have made an interesting extra as that film was said to have some good footage.
This unwarranted sacking has resulted in a disjointed film which has had major parts ommitted. There is also an attempt at humour that doesn't work such as a creature burping and a Mickey Mouse joke. Such stuff does not work in a serious science fiction film which this attempts to be .When I saw this in the movie theatre,there was sniggers as Dennis Quaid's character goes from regarding his opponent as his mortal enemy to talking as if they were old friends.
Despite this,the production values and set design are outstanding and it ends up being a warm-hearted story reminiscent of "Robinson Crusoe On Mars". A disjointed and uneven story,but still entertaining.
The "extras" on this DVD consist of a paltry 3 photos and a scratchy 4X3 trailer. Not much there.
Fortunately,the film is in widescreen.

Boy, this premise sounds familiar! Rehash, anyone?
I haven't seen this in a long time, but isn't this basically the same idea as the 1968 Lee Marvin/Toshiro Mifune war drama "Hell in the Pacific?"

Another Classic Sci-Fi Flim For Anyone
What if two enemies both from alien races crash landed on a deserted planet in the middle of a waging war? Would they work together as a team to survive long enough to be rescued? Or would they not be able to settle their differences and wage their own war? Enemy Mine starring Dennis Quaid and Louis Gossett Jr. gives us this very scenario. Enemy Mine's story is great, and the special effects and makeup are great for their time also. I'd suggest this movie for anyone who is looking for more than just a "Shoot em' up, Blow em' up" type Sci-Fi movie. Three stars. ... Read more

Reviews (408)

The Perfect Storm The Perfect Movie on dvd
Directed by Wolfgang Peterson who has a career
for making great films like the "The NeverEnding Story", "The Perfect Storm" was another great film into Mr. Peterson's resume.

The perfect storm, is based on the book written by Sebastian Unger. It's the true account of a group of fisherman who , in October 1991, died in the worst storm in the century, sacrificing their lives because they were doing their duties
and trying to put food on the table for their families.

There are many reasons I liked this movie:
1) The characters are real and genuine
2) The movie has a lot of heart, action, drama and suspense
3) The movie does have a certain mystique and aura around it, due to the fact that these are very special people whom if you met them you've probably wouldn't forget.

The cast and crew is made up of Billy Tyne
(George Clooney), captain of the Andrea Gail, Bobby Shatford (Mark Wahlberg) ,a beloved
fisherman in Gloucester, Mike "Bugsy" Moran
(John Hawkes), Dale Murphy (John C. Reilly) , David "Sully" Sullivan (William Fichtner). All these characters were loved in their community.

To feed their loved ones, the fisherman go to the Great banks to catch as many fish as possible but they don't see that a huge Hurricane named " Grace" is headed their way, a deadly storm in fact. The fisherman's boss though, Mr. McNally I believe is his name, pays them very little and makes even fishing a hassle for them. The men though still go out to see despite this because of their great love for the see.

One of the characters that are shown
at the beginning is Christine Cotter (Diane
Lane), Bobby's girlfriend, who has an undying love for him, even though she knows that fishing in rough waters can be dangerous.

Making the characters more realistic and with a real storyline the movie shows the mixed hate/love relationship, the crew has with Captain Billy (Clooney). It's debatable whether Tyne might
have been at fault over the dealth of his shipmates. During one scene Tyne, gets a message about the upcoming storm, however, he doesn't immediately make the crew think about how dangerous it is. He instead just leaves the decision in their hands, but another Captain might have taken control and said the hell with the trip.

Each characters has a story to them, it's not just that these guys were average joes and they worked a crummy job, no, they were very much by everyone and the extras on the dvd prove that with all the interviews by people in the community.

The visual effects for the movie are outstanding, it is a very big budget production loaded with great sets and great models..

The movie was a box office hit, and received
praise for all the actors in it like Clooney and Walhberg.

The effects were done by award winning special effects ma Stan Winston and ILM , the same group who gave us the effects for "Terminator 2",
and "Jurassic Park" to give two examples.

The Dvd for the movie comes with many extras:

*Three Documentaries one by HBO called
"Creating the Storm" which has interviews with Bobby Shatford's family,i former Captains of the Andrea Gail, and interviews with local fisherman who know all about the characters involved. Then other documentary on the dvd is called "Witnessing the Storm" which has photos from the storm in 1991 and many interviews on it

Next is the commentary. The commentary
is actually split differently during one
commentary I believe you have Wolfgang
Petersen talking about the film. The other
commentary has Sebastian Unger who talks
about how afraid he was if his book on
the storm would fail,and then how great he felt when the families of the fisherman told
him how good a job he did with it.

With all visual effects, story, good acting
and great directing by Wolfgang "Perfect
Storm" is a very good movie, by a guy
who hasn't really done bad movies.
In fact Wolfgang's next movie is "Troy"
with Brad Pitt. So check that out and check
out this one.

Fantastic Special Effects!!!
The Perfect Storm has some really great special-effects. The movie starts out a little slow describing all the characters and their relationships but then moves along at a breathless pace. You get so caught up with the crew in the middle of this greatest storm in recorded history that you can't take your eyes away from the screen. This storm occurred in the Atlantic Ocean in October 1991, a true story. You feel like your on the ocean with the crew it is so realistic. It even made me feel seasick at times. George Clooney & Mark Wahlberg did a wonderful job as the two main characters. There are a lot of surprises in this film. You get a good feel for the life & people involved in this tough fishing port of Gloucester, Massachusetts.

I only had one problem with this movie, and it was the soundtrack. I felt the music was really appropriate and well-done, but it should have been toned down a little. It overpowered the actors words to the point where you couldn't tell what they were saying. At least during the storm it would have been better to have no music at all and just the natural sounds. Other than that it's a great movie that I will definitely watch again. The special features & documentaries are great on this DVD version, that explain how the film was made. Really quite interesting

lukewarm
I really wanted to like this movie but it came off as a bland viewing experience. A lot of it had to do with poor casting...Clooney (IMO) is not a good actor so without a strong lead, the rest of the ensemble faltered. I don't remember much of a soundtrack-a good musical score would of greatly improved this film.
As a New Englander, I find it quite tiresome to listen to ridiculous interpretations of the local dialects. Obviously most of the actors could not speak it, so the few who tried, looked even more stupid. I would of been happy if they had spoken in their natural accents (even if by fluke, someone was from the South, per se)-at least a viewer can justify it by interpreting the character as a transplant; a horrible rendition of a dialect is just that...horrible, and it is very distracting. The hollywood adaptation of New England locals always strikes me as an insult. It seems fair to state that these filmmakers from the west coast don't know enough about the people and culture of New England either.

No suspense whatsoever
It's hard to get psyched for a movie when you basically know the ending. How can you sustain any kind of tension or suspense? That's a key problem with most movies which are deemed "historical". What most great historical films have done is examine the aspects of the history and demonstrate how the forces came together to create that ending. Think of GLORY or THE LONGEST DAY. They don't even have to be war stories. Think of A NIGHT TO REMEMBER or SEABISCUIT, for that matter.

The problem with THE PERFECT STORM is that there is no suspense, essentially. We know the crew ignored or were deprived the information that things were going to get a little rough in the North Atlantic, and its boat got walloped. I don't know how Wolfgang Petersen or the script writers could have created the suspense, and it's not a reviewer's job to make recommendations. But as it is, I found myself increasing impatient during the first half of the film. Let's just get to the F/X and get it over with, I thought.

The performances, I have to say in all fairness, are good, considering what the actors had to work with. The F/X were great, of course. But I still left this film with an empty feeling. Pass on this one.

Very depressing, but still a good movie.
This film truely has some great special effects, good acting, heart, but the one thing that it lacks is that positive ending that even the saddest films have. The film was very depressing in every sense. George Clooney, Mark Whallberg, and the rest of the cast all did a great job. The cinematography was brilliant. All in all the film is something you need to follow up with a happier movie. If you are in the mood to be crushed stay away. I reccomend this film to people who love special effects films. Two sad thumbs up. ... Read more

Reviews (408)

The Perfect Storm The Perfect Movie on dvd
Directed by Wolfgang Peterson who has a career
for making great films like the "The NeverEnding Story", "The Perfect Storm" was another great film into Mr. Peterson's resume.

The perfect storm, is based on the book written by Sebastian Unger. It's the true account of a group of fisherman who , in October 1991, died in the worst storm in the century, sacrificing their lives because they were doing their duties
and trying to put food on the table for their families.

There are many reasons I liked this movie:
1) The characters are real and genuine
2) The movie has a lot of heart, action, drama and suspense
3) The movie does have a certain mystique and aura around it, due to the fact that these are very special people whom if you met them you've probably wouldn't forget.

The cast and crew is made up of Billy Tyne
(George Clooney), captain of the Andrea Gail, Bobby Shatford (Mark Wahlberg) ,a beloved
fisherman in Gloucester, Mike "Bugsy" Moran
(John Hawkes), Dale Murphy (John C. Reilly) , David "Sully" Sullivan (William Fichtner). All these characters were loved in their community.

To feed their loved ones, the fisherman go to the Great banks to catch as many fish as possible but they don't see that a huge Hurricane named " Grace" is headed their way, a deadly storm in fact. The fisherman's boss though, Mr. McNally I believe is his name, pays them very little and makes even fishing a hassle for them. The men though still go out to see despite this because of their great love for the see.

One of the characters that are shown
at the beginning is Christine Cotter (Diane
Lane), Bobby's girlfriend, who has an undying love for him, even though she knows that fishing in rough waters can be dangerous.

Making the characters more realistic and with a real storyline the movie shows the mixed hate/love relationship, the crew has with Captain Billy (Clooney). It's debatable whether Tyne might
have been at fault over the dealth of his shipmates. During one scene Tyne, gets a message about the upcoming storm, however, he doesn't immediately make the crew think about how dangerous it is. He instead just leaves the decision in their hands, but another Captain might have taken control and said the hell with the trip.

Each characters has a story to them, it's not just that these guys were average joes and they worked a crummy job, no, they were very much by everyone and the extras on the dvd prove that with all the interviews by people in the community.

The visual effects for the movie are outstanding, it is a very big budget production loaded with great sets and great models..

The movie was a box office hit, and received
praise for all the actors in it like Clooney and Walhberg.

The effects were done by award winning special effects ma Stan Winston and ILM , the same group who gave us the effects for "Terminator 2",
and "Jurassic Park" to give two examples.

The Dvd for the movie comes with many extras:

*Three Documentaries one by HBO called
"Creating the Storm" which has interviews with Bobby Shatford's family,i former Captains of the Andrea Gail, and interviews with local fisherman who know all about the characters involved. Then other documentary on the dvd is called "Witnessing the Storm" which has photos from the storm in 1991 and many interviews on it

Next is the commentary. The commentary
is actually split differently during one
commentary I believe you have Wolfgang
Petersen talking about the film. The other
commentary has Sebastian Unger who talks
about how afraid he was if his book on
the storm would fail,and then how great he felt when the families of the fisherman told
him how good a job he did with it.

With all visual effects, story, good acting
and great directing by Wolfgang "Perfect
Storm" is a very good movie, by a guy
who hasn't really done bad movies.
In fact Wolfgang's next movie is "Troy"
with Brad Pitt. So check that out and check
out this one.

Fantastic Special Effects!!!
The Perfect Storm has some really great special-effects. The movie starts out a little slow describing all the characters and their relationships but then moves along at a breathless pace. You get so caught up with the crew in the middle of this greatest storm in recorded history that you can't take your eyes away from the screen. This storm occurred in the Atlantic Ocean in October 1991, a true story. You feel like your on the ocean with the crew it is so realistic. It even made me feel seasick at times. George Clooney & Mark Wahlberg did a wonderful job as the two main characters. There are a lot of surprises in this film. You get a good feel for the life & people involved in this tough fishing port of Gloucester, Massachusetts.

I only had one problem with this movie, and it was the soundtrack. I felt the music was really appropriate and well-done, but it should have been toned down a little. It overpowered the actors words to the point where you couldn't tell what they were saying. At least during the storm it would have been better to have no music at all and just the natural sounds. Other than that it's a great movie that I will definitely watch again. The special features & documentaries are great on this DVD version, that explain how the film was made. Really quite interesting

lukewarm
I really wanted to like this movie but it came off as a bland viewing experience. A lot of it had to do with poor casting...Clooney (IMO) is not a good actor so without a strong lead, the rest of the ensemble faltered. I don't remember much of a soundtrack-a good musical score would of greatly improved this film.
As a New Englander, I find it quite tiresome to listen to ridiculous interpretations of the local dialects. Obviously most of the actors could not speak it, so the few who tried, looked even more stupid. I would of been happy if they had spoken in their natural accents (even if by fluke, someone was from the South, per se)-at least a viewer can justify it by interpreting the character as a transplant; a horrible rendition of a dialect is just that...horrible, and it is very distracting. The hollywood adaptation of New England locals always strikes me as an insult. It seems fair to state that these filmmakers from the west coast don't know enough about the people and culture of New England either.

No suspense whatsoever
It's hard to get psyched for a movie when you basically know the ending. How can you sustain any kind of tension or suspense? That's a key problem with most movies which are deemed "historical". What most great historical films have done is examine the aspects of the history and demonstrate how the forces came together to create that ending. Think of GLORY or THE LONGEST DAY. They don't even have to be war stories. Think of A NIGHT TO REMEMBER or SEABISCUIT, for that matter.

The problem with THE PERFECT STORM is that there is no suspense, essentially. We know the crew ignored or were deprived the information that things were going to get a little rough in the North Atlantic, and its boat got walloped. I don't know how Wolfgang Petersen or the script writers could have created the suspense, and it's not a reviewer's job to make recommendations. But as it is, I found myself increasing impatient during the first half of the film. Let's just get to the F/X and get it over with, I thought.

The performances, I have to say in all fairness, are good, considering what the actors had to work with. The F/X were great, of course. But I still left this film with an empty feeling. Pass on this one.

Very depressing, but still a good movie.
This film truely has some great special effects, good acting, heart, but the one thing that it lacks is that positive ending that even the saddest films have. The film was very depressing in every sense. George Clooney, Mark Whallberg, and the rest of the cast all did a great job. The cinematography was brilliant. All in all the film is something you need to follow up with a happier movie. If you are in the mood to be crushed stay away. I reccomend this film to people who love special effects films. Two sad thumbs up. ... Read more

Reviews (40)

Great Movie!!
Outbreak is a fantastic action/drama with a great, all-star cast.

Outbreak features the acting talent of Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, Morgan Freeman, Cuba Gooding Jr., Kevin Spacey and Donald Sutherland. Dustin Hoffman puts on one excellent performance throughout this film, and the supporting cast is nothing short of excellent. This thriller will keep you on the edge of the seat until the very end of the movie.

The DVD while lacking many special features, is still well worth owing. The crisp picture, theater sound, and low price makes this one well worth getting.

If you are a fan of any of the above actors, pick this one up!!!
You will not be disappointed.

Highly Recommended!!

A movie worth watching!
Outbreak, brings to the screen the likely scenario that a deadly virus (similar to the Ebola virus) spreads rapidly endangering mankind, and threatening life on Earth. The likelihood of such a phenomenon is presently great indeed (as it always has been i.e. the Black Death etc), and hopefully the film will get many people thinking.
The movie is very realistic in its approach, and conveys a much needed message of the dangers facing people, especially when dealing with viruses (how easily many of them spread e.g. an airborne virus in an airplane or a movie theater). Moreover, one realizes how the government would have to act in such an emergency and the type of use of the military one should expect in order to protect the majority of people that have yet to be infected and contain the spread of the disease.
Dustin Hoffman, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey, and Rene Russo, whose performances are simply amazing, make this movie one of the best of its kind.
The actors' great talent and chemistry clearly shows, thus providing a film that can be watched over and over again.
Resident Evil (Milla Jovovich) is another very good movie dealing with virus-related incidents/threats, though it falls much more under "Horror" than Outbreak, which is a more "Thriller/Action" type of film. Another movie that comes to mind is Twelve Monkeys (Bruce Willis, Brad Pitt, Medeleine Stowe), which is a futuristic/science fiction approach to similar virus-related threats to humanity.
In short, Outbreak is a very good movie, it's an eye opener, and very much worth watching!

Stop that Virus!
Viruses scare the bejesus out of people who spend any significant amount of time thinking about them. Stephen