Mercury Rising - DTS

Rating:
Summary: Lacks A Brain And Style.
Review: "Mercury Rising" is one of those silly movies that pretends to be a serious thriller but in reality, it isn't. In fact, this is one of the most boring and illogical thrillers I have ever seen. The problem behind "Mercury Rising" is it's plot and the way it's structured. Okay, let's look at the main plot points. How could a 9 year old autistic child crack a government super-code? If that's how sophiticated the government gets, then we better restructure our defense systems. Also, why would such intelligent people as the guys running the defense department, be dum enough to hide the code in a crossword puzzle? And why does the assassin sent to kill Simon kill his parents when they know nothing of what's going on? "Mercury Rising" is also a terribly boring movie that lacks better action scenes that aren't so predictable. This movie also has no style, and the characters are never interesting. Bruce Willis seems so miserable in this movie. "Mercury Rising" is a good example of how a thriller should not be made.

Rating:
Summary: A great blend of action and suspense.
Review: "Mercury Rising" is the Bruce Willis/little kid vehicle that came before his success in "The Sixth Sense," and while the premise and the execution of the plot are different from "Sixth," the film manages to show that Bruce Willis can work with an actor of any age. He plays Art Jeffries, an FBI agent who is in over his head at the bureau after a difference in opinion with his superior over a bank heist. Meanwhile, a small, autistic boy named Simon receives a puzzle book, and while reading it, he discovers a secret government code called "Mercury," meant to keep officers in the American Embassies safe from harm. He calls the number that he picks up from the puzzle, and the head of the Mercury project, played by Alec Baldwin, sends one of his henchmen to eliminate the problem. Soon, Simon is found in his bedroom closet by Jeffries after the murder of his parents, leading into a cat-and-mouse chase that spans the entirety of the film. The film contains a high amount of suspense, and although a lot of the mystery aspects of the film are in the norm for the genre, some of the plot contains originality. John Barry's score fits the film greatly, and some of his chords and melodies can be traced back to his previous movies such as "The Scarlet Letter." Actors all give believable performances, and special effects are all the craze when they get to show their stuff. All in all, not a bad film.

Rating:
Summary: It grabbed me from the beginning...
Review: Although in my opinion, the role of Baldwin is a waste of time and possibly money, but the idea is interesting, and the growing bond between Willis and the boy gets you close to the screen. If you are OK with Bruce Willis acting skills, you have to see this one.

Rating:
Summary: Don't believe the editorial review
Review: Amazon.com's editorial reveiws usually hit the target, but not this time. Anyone who has spent time with autistic kids or adults won't find the movies as "dumb" as the reviewer states. Sure, not all people with autism are savants, as the movie seems to imply. But that aside, Miko Hughes puts in a very believable performace -- easily as good as Dustin Hoffman in "Rain Man." Perhaps it's not fair to plead special interests, but the people who made this movie clearly put a lot of thought and study into dealing with a difficult topic, and they deserve credit for it. I was frankly offended by the reviewer's failure to appreciate this aspect of the movie, and I think that most intelligent viewers who are interested in more than just a simple action movie will share my opinion. 4 stars for the movie; 1 star for your insensitive reviewer!

Rating:
Summary: Could Have Been Better
Review: Before I saw the trailer, I thought that this movie would be a bomb. After I saw the trailer, I was excited to watch the movie. Bruce Willis proves that he is actually a good actor, although a few of the camera angles were reminiscient of a few scenes in Die Hard (when Art looks over the roof's edge; the glass shattering; these are the ones that jumped out at me first). And what was the subplot about the prescription drugs about? When I buy DVDs, I do it for the little extras that they contain (trailers, behind the scenes, etc). This DVD's special "hidden" feature, Crack The Code, was something that I could not figure out how to activate, and therefore a major letdown. If it's not a special "hidden" feature, then why was it there in the first place?

Rating:
Summary: 'Mercury Is Not On The Money'
Review: Bruce playing a demoted FBI cop who desperately wants to protect an innocent autistic child after he cracks a secret government code is pretty standard for Bruce. I mean isn't that what he always does in his movies? This was not very original, except for the fact that Bruce did show a much softer side to movie-goers that we rarely get to see. Alec Baldwin was really good as sounding like a villan, but he just basically reads his lines and that's about it. BEWARE OF THIS MOVIE FOR IT LACKS A SERIOUS STORYLINE. But if you are a Bruce Willis fan, that probably won't matter. Besides Bruce has done worse work than this. The script is pretty bad, so in defence of Bruce's acting, he can only work with what is given to him....

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Movie - may seem stupid to Average IQs ~over-head!
Review: Bruce Willis is in an all too real situation. People don't want to believe the system is the way it is, so they aren't going to believe it. It's really scary to think these things happen in our society. It makes us feel powerless. Who can we trust in a crisis? Albeit, the life of one autistic child is certainly not more important than all the lives lost in this film. If you believe the system got cleaned up at the end, it was all worth it. See this movie.

Rating:
Summary: LOW BLOOD PRESSURE
Review: Bruce Willis returns in the role of a loose cannon, demoted by the FBI after a hostage situation goes tragically awry. Willis is great in these kind of roles, eliciting both a strong macho appearance, but with an inner sensitivity that evades other actors. Willis' scenes with Miko Hughes as the autistic Simon are the highlights of the film, as is the supporting performances by Chi McBride as Willis' buddy and Kim Dickens as a young lady who gets involved in the situation. Alec Baldwin is smarmy again as the villainous NSA director. The main problem I found with this picture is director Harold Becker's meandering pacing and inability to maintain a tight level of suspense. The climax is great, but wading through some really slow scenes hurts it overall.
Not a great film, but a good one.

Rating:
Summary: LOW BLOOD PRESSURE
Review: Bruce Willis returns in the role of a loose cannon, demoted by the FBI after a hostage situation goes tragically awry. Willis is great in these kind of roles, eliciting both a strong macho appearance, but with an inner sensitivity that evades other actors. Willis' scenes with Miko Hughes as the autistic Simon are the highlights of the film, as is the supporting performances by Chi McBride as Willis' buddy and Kim Dickens as a young lady who gets involved in the situation. Alec Baldwin is smarmy again as the villainous NSA director. The main problem I found with this picture is director Harold Becker's meandering pacing and inability to maintain a tight level of suspense. The climax is great, but wading through some really slow scenes hurts it overall.
Not a great film, but a good one.

Rating:
Summary: Decent Film
Review: Good film. It draws the viewer's interest and doesn't let go. The only improvement that would have made it a superior film would be if Bruce Willis's character had spent more time with the child.