Wing Commander

Rating:
Summary: Special Effects Takes the Cake
Review: There are over 250 special effects shots in "Wing Commander". If you base the movie just on the effects, then you're in for a ride. Now, if you base it on the plot and the acting, well, you might as well grab a pillow. Freddie Prinze Jr. plays Blair, is a Pilgrim, a descendant of the first space explorers who have a keen sense of the galaxy. So, he is given a weird look every time he is on the flight deck. His friend, Marshall, played by Matthew Lillard, is the usual testosterone driven ace pilot. They are the main characters as they fight the evil Kilrathi, yet another race who wants to take over the universe.

Add tons of special effects, and you've got some of the best battle scenes of the year. The storyline, though, is bland and predictable, and the acting talent is wasted. Talent such as Tcheky Karyo and Saffron Burrows should not be in such a mediocre film. Even if their talent is wasted, their talent is obvious as they are the best acting of the movie, no matter how small their parts are. There is also mediocrity behind the camera, as Chris Roberts, the force behind all things Wing Commander, directs his first feature film. Yet again, something that shouldn't have been. Roberts shows no enthusiasm and does nothing especially different.

"Wing Commander" is a decent film, with decent acting, and extrordinary special effects.

Rating:
Summary: Good Popcorn flick!
Review: Buy this movie because it is a great way to spend a rainy Saturday afternoon. It is simple Sci Fi and a lot of fun.

If you are a Sci Fi nerd, don't bother, because you will be dissapointed, in that the movie has a lot of components that won't seem to make sense.

However, if you like action, cool effects, and a halfway decent war story, and you want to have a good popcorn movie in your collection, this is a safe bet.

Rating:
Summary: Oh my God!!!
Review: Saw this film free at a "Special Preview" showing--I thank god for this. Most truly the worst film ever made. Watch out Titanic, here comes Wing Commander. Matthew Lillard--I love you man, but what the (...)? Freddie Prinze Jr. has just got to stop. If I could give it less then 1 star, I would. One viewing was enough. Sorry, I've not had the chance to rent this gem on DVD. Maybe I should give it another whirl. I'll have someone else pay for it ; 9

Rating:
Summary: Miserable
Review: I saw this movie having already heard that it wasn't too great. Well, those observations were made by people that hadn't played the computer games, and I can assure you that it is far worse than 'not too great.' This film is reinforcement for the proven thesis that one should never make a movie out of a video game.

I should note that in most cases, the movie version of a video game had at least a better story. Take Mortal Kombat for instance, or Super Mario Bros (that one's a bit debatable due to how much it sucked). In this case, however, the movie story actually isn't as good as the game version! I was especially appalled when I learned that Chris Roberts directed this piece. The man must have been smoking some heavy crack while he read over the script.

I'll admit the movie had some interesting plot aspects to it, like the stealing of the navigation 'black box' at the start. However, this curious plot element was not followed up in any intelligent manner. The fighters in general looked markedly different from the ones in the game, and in my opinion don't look half as intimidating. Kilrathi ships also look fragile and clumsy, though they are supposed to act tough and agile. The Tiger's Claw was oddly cramped for an attack carrier, looking more like a submarine than a starship from the inside. I suppose it's an interesting change of ship design, but it doesn't follow anything in the games.

Now, about that plot. This was the real strength of the Wing Commander product line and what made the last few installments in the game series especially fun. The Kilrathi really seemed brilliant, diabolical, and cruel. They didn't just rampage around like your typical alien invader, but hunted human captives for sport, disintegrated prisoners of war, stole Terran warships and used them to ambush whole fleets, and even pretended to be defeated so as to rebuild their huge navy. They were unique villains that made you feel like a patriot whenever you blew one away. Here, they are about as interesting as the little colored blobs you zap in Space Invaders.

Everywhere but in the movie, Wing Commander characters were well developed and each had a unique and often humoring personality. Not so here, where the humans are basically a bunch of fighter jocks looking to stick a few more kills on their Rapiers. The most interesting (read: least 2-D) character was 'Angel' Devereaux, who in my opinion is the only act deserving any credit. Maniac was supposed to be a snobby, annoying cur (and was hilarious for that), but is a pretty-boy sentimental wreck in the movie. Others of the Tiger's Claw wing that were well developed elsewhere were hardly even seen in the movie. The Kilrathi are completely undeveloped. You barely even SEE one of them, let alone get a sense of who or what they are.

On the note of the Kilrathi- they are supposed to be scary! Terran marines are terrified of going up against them in close combat, because they're huge and have big teeth and claws. The wimps you see in that action scene (and by the way, pilots aren't supposed to act as shock troops) don't do them justice. I think their house cat ancestors would have been more frightening.

All right, so there has to be a reason for my not flat-lining this production. That would be the graphics. While they aren't up to the standard of what ILM produces, the folks at Digital Anvil have done a pretty fine job for their first theater production. The torpedo battles were especially cool. In fact, they were probably the only thing I liked about the movie. The only thing that had me scratching my head is- didn't the Tiger's Claw have guns in addition to torpedo launchers? Funny that it seems like it's the only capital ship lacking those.

The bottom line is, this is a renter, if even that. Don't waste any money on it, unless you are really itching for some sappy space drama.

Rating:
Summary: Mindless fun
Review: There are two types of people who should avoid this movie: Hard science fiction buffs, and die-hard fans of the original games, anyone else should find this an enjoyably silly way to spend an evening.
The implausibility factor of this movie is high, there is sound in space, the fighters fly like aeroplanes, there is a quasar in the Sol system and so on. However weighed against that is an entertainingly different way of looking at space battles - that is - more like Das Boot than Star Trek, the ships are small and cramped and battered, the people are jittery and the whole enterprise looks like it's one asteroid short of oblivion. There are also no fancy lasers or energy weapons, just missiles and pellet throwers.
This is also not the Wing commander of the games, the characters have familiar names, but they are not the ones we've known from before. Freddie Prinz Jr is bearable as Blair, but there was probably an interview room full of actors who could have done the job better. Matthew Lillard is good as maniac, and Tchéky Karyo is (as ever) excellent as Paladin, despite not being Scottish. The Kilrathi are laughable but they're only visible for about a minute in total, and given the miniscule budget the rest of the SFX are good to excellent.
However the film has two problems: the editing, and the script. The film was apparently edited to remove a sub-plot and that has left it slightly bloodied, the "Pilgrim" idea is not developed and looks like it was tacked on to give Blair a way out a sticky ending, and the overall pacing is very uneven. With a bit more time and a bigger budget, this would have been a hit, but as it is, it's an enjoyable B-movie with a familar name.

Rating:
Summary: Wing Commander
Review: Great movie for watching late at night. If you like Sci-Fi then this would be a good one to sit and watch.

Rating:
Summary: Maybe a bit less painfull than a root canal
Review: But probably not. I am an avid fan of both Sci-fi movies and war movies. This is easily the worst example of either.

There are sever problems dealing with the science of the movie, which is distracting. There is not a single performance by any actor in this movie which does not look like they are being forced to make the movie at gun-point.

I can respect Roberts for trying to make the movie different from the games. Also, I can respect that he wanted the feel of a WWII drama. What I can't respect is a script which seemed to be written by a student in remedial high school English, and performances which seemed to be some kind of therapy for severe personality disorders.

Rating:
Summary: Give me the GAME!!
Review: I saw this in the theatres, and was completely and utterly disappointed. Almost everything that made the game fun and its cinematics intriguing is missing here. The games had better actors and a darker tone than the "oh-wow-look-at-me-I'm-in-a-CGI-scene" feel of this (junk). I tried to take the movie on its own terms, but just couldn't let go of the fact that the material had taken a step down from its roots rather than a step up (for comparison, look at TV's atrocioius intrepretation of You Don't Know Jack). I still can't figure why they went with different actors. McDowell, Hamill, Wilson and the others in the game at least lent a gave a sense of gravity to the events swirling around them. The ships looks better in the game, and even, dare I say it, the Kilrathi. Bottom line: Boot your PC up in DOS mode (if you still remember how) and pop in WingCommander 3 or 4. Leave this "film" on the shelf or have a stiff drink when you catch it on cable.

Rating:
Summary: A moderately entertaining sci-fi flick
Review: I must admit, I watched the film "Wing Commander" with pretty low expectations. And maybe that's why I found the film to be reasonably entertaining--despite some stupid or annoying elements. The film depicts an interstellar war between humans and an alien race called the Kilrathi. Most of the drama focuses on a wing of outer space fighter pilots; the main hero is played by Freddie Prinze, Jr. Comic relief is provided by his sidekick and fellow fighter pilot, Matthew Lillard.

There are some reasonably fun and action-filled scenes, but as a whole the film is weak. The whole "fighter pilots in space" thing has been done before (and better) in "Star Wars" and "Babylon 5." There are too many cliches and unconvincing plot points, and I found the anticlimactic ending to be rather unsatisfying.

One interesting angle to the film is the fact that Prinze's character is the son of a "Pilgrim," a sort of human sub-species that evolved from early human space travelers. But this angle is not explored in a convincing or satisfying way. It merely becomes fodder for a shallow, cliched subplot involving the prejudice against these "Pilgrims." Also shallow is the portrayal of the barely seen Kilrathi. These aliens seem to have no personality beyond their desire to kill humans.

Despite the film's glaring faults, I found "Wing Commander" to be fairly enjoyable, with decent performances. If you're in the mood for a sci-fi flick that won't tax your brain too much, give it a try.

Rating:
Summary: The movie that should have never been made
Review: Okay, people listen up. I go to the movies every weekend just about. I thought movies such as National Lampoon's Senior Trip and Supernova were good. In short, it does not take a whole lot to impress me when it comes to movies. I just like the whole movie going experience, the escapism if you will. I am also a diehard computer game freak and own all the Wing Commander games, including Wing Commander: Academy, Wing Commander: Privateer, and Wing Commander: Armada. I also have all the novels and I can tell you that this movie stunk. When I first heard they were making this movie I began salivating. Who would have guessed that a computer franchise that started almost ten years ago would get a live action movie with a fairly good sized budget. But as with all video game based movies before it (read Super Mario Bros. and Street Fighter) this movie failed to live up to expectations. Now I could go into how it was a lot like Star Wars, with Chris Blair being able to plot jump calculations by feel, and how it is completely idiotic for people to be manually loading missile tubes on 24th century space-based warships. But I won't do that. I will simply say that for someone who is such a big fan of the games, and is so easy to please when it comes to movies, that this should be a good indication of what to expect from this movie. What Chris Roberts should have done, in my opinion, was adapt the first game into a screenplay for the movie. Also, he should have let someone else direct it, someone with more experience directing and not so close to the material. Don't get me wrong, I liked his take on the Terran-Kilrathi War. But I also liked Wing Commander: Prophecy, which he had nothing to do with, and I liked Starlancer, which he did. I just think that a story, based on the first game, may have set the movie up as a legitimate franchise, and not doomed it to sitnker hell. That's all I have to say.