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Impostor (Director's Cut)

Impostor (Director's Cut)

List Price: $14.99
Your Price: $13.49
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A little under-rated
Review: Considering how quietly this movie snuck in under the radar (for me anyway), it was hard to have the bar raised too far. That said, since my expectations were put on hold, I really enjoyed this movie.

Did it do anything new or inventive? Well ... no ... admittedly, as much as I did enjoy the movie, I'm not deluded into thinking that 'Imposter' is some kind of new land-mark of science-fiction. As mentioned in many reviews before, elements from 'Total Recall,' 'Blade Runner,' 'Minority Report' and the fugitive are borrowed from heavily and there's also a heavy dose of the trade-mark 'perceived reality vs. actual reality' that seems to be the theme of many of Dick's works.

That said though, I don't think anyone dropped the ball either. I thought that the cast had a lot of talent, the performances were all solid, and the script was paced well. The directing was a little muddy. I know the point of having the camera the camera movements being as fluid as they were was to give the audience the same disorienting feeling that the main character was feeling. I think they could have achieved the same feeling without going so far over-board.

When all was said and done, I'm not sure I'd buy the movie; but if you could pick up a used copy, rent it or catch it on cable, you could definitely do it without feeling suckered.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Don't even waste your time or money
Review: ...This 'film' was good up until the end when it comes to the conclusion that it is a 'necessary sacrifice' for people to trade freedom for security. I wont go into details...Your money would be better spent seeing "Blade Runner" and/or "Total Recall" again or even seeing "Minority Report". All three of which I highly recommend. I have not read any of Philip K. Dick's stories (yet) but based on what I have seen of the above mentioned movies based on his stories, I would dare to argue that he is probably spinning in his grave because of 'Impostor'.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Fugitive in the future
Review: Being a BIG fan of Philip K dick's I was naturally curious to watch this movie (also since I never heard of it) and was very surprised by how much I liked it. First of all, I have no idea when they released it in the movies but it must have been on a day when I was sick at home. Why didn't this get a bigger release? Very nice depiction of the Philip K dick world of the future. Bleak, with suspiciousness and with questions about what is real at every step of the way. Great build up and great ending. All actors did a very nice job and the scenes and sets were extremely believeable. The idea of identity (always a Dick favorite), and who we REALLY are is present throughout. For Dick fans everywhere. This is a must. The best interpretation since Blade Runner.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: decent
Review: i enjoyed this movie, mainly because it features my favorite actor, vincent d'onofrio. true, the plot was not exceptionally original, but did anyone notice that the much better received movie minority report had a lot in common with impostor, which came out first. they both had similar big-brother governments, with a "road to hell is paved with good intentions" government agent following them. both have a tracking device installed in their body, both had underworld connections they used to slip under the radar, etc. and, strangely enough, both of the actors playing the main characters friends now have their own tv shows (Monk and Boomtown), not that that matters. i think both movies were well done, and an irritated by the unequal treatment. luckily the endings were different.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: sci-fi not at it's best
Review: this movie had potential, gary's portrayal of
the fugitive scientist was good,..there was wasted time in the middle of the movie,....i feel there was something missing
from this movie, it did not last long at the box office.
however,it can be a movie added to any sci-fi collection
for the storey line, and effects.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: How could they impose this mess on the viewing public?
Review: Spencer Olham (Gary Sinise, who also co-produced) is a respected scientist in the year 2079 who discovers a force that could destroy life as we know it. However Olham is soon fleeing the government who believe he is an alien spy in human form (Hey, some people think the same about Michael Jackson). Olham soons finds himself a man with a bounty on his head and the chase begins (in slow Hare and Tortoise fashion).
Based on a short story by Phillip K. Dick (BLADE RUNNER & MINORITY REPORT) and directed by Gary Fleder (KISS THE GIRLS, DON'T SAY A WORD) IMPOSTER is a rather average and dull SF take on THE FUGITIVE. The movie veers between vague watchability and outright boredom, with a heavy sense of deja vu pervading the latter third. IMPOSTER's climactic 20 minutes are better than anything that preceeded it.
Features chintzy FX that look like they've been lifted from old BATTLESTAR GALACTICA episodes and graphics that could have come from KNIGHT RIDER. But who are you going to believe? Me or the studio blurb which hails IMPOSTER as "A modern classic of psychological science fiction"? All this movie does is succeed in wasting a potentially good cast which also includes Madeline Stowe, Vincent D'Onofrio and Mekhi Phifer. Unfortunately everybody seems to be sleepwalking through this. Who can blame them?

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Maybe MSFT3000 can do something with this
Review: This movie is bad science and bad fiction. It takes a fine Phillip K. Dick story, great sets, excellent cast and does a directorial belly flop. I have seldom seen more senseless camera movement and gratuitous cutaway shots. There are real inconsistencies in the story--for example, why don't androids dopplegangers have any memory of killing their real counterparts? Disorienting the audience, in the hands of a great director, can create powerful empathy with a character. This director merely achieved confusion and ambivalence. What makes this a particularly frustrating movie is that so much potential was wasted. If you watch the first 10 and the last 10 minutes of this, you will have seen the highlights. The vast body of the film is a particularly uninteresting chase. The ending could have had terrific power, but was wasted by the middle 80% of the film. Sinease produced this movie, so he must be partly held accountable for the dismal failure of this movie to intrigue, to thrill, or even to interest or entertain.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Never dull, but never a thrill ride, either.
Review: Impostor was the first of 2002's futuristic thrillers (the other two being Minority Report and Equilibrium) and it's also easily the weakest, which is no surprise when you consider this is essentially nothing more than a blown-up short film. Not surprisingly, the critics were harsh on this one, and while many of the complaints are valid, Impostor is still a bit better than its reputation.

Impostor is set sometime in the future, a time where humans are at war with a powerful alien race. Gary Sinise stars as Spence Olham, a dedicated husband (wife played by the lovely Madeleine Stowe) and scientist who has crafted the ultimate superweapon to battle the aliens, but upon its completion, is accused of being a synthetically created alien cyborg with a bomb in his chest that's set to go off when he reaches his prime target. Now on the run, Olham struggles to prove his innocence before it's too late.

Impostor's concept, that of a seemingly normal man accused of being a replicant, is a fascinating one, but it's unfortunately drowned by director Gary Fleder's obsession with shaky camera movements and quick cuts. The screenplay can also take partial blame for the lack of genuine theme, since it spends more time placing Olham on the run that exploring the possibilities of his predicament (be it from an action or thematic standpoint). The question of identity and what it means to be human is never fully addressed and only touched upon briefly.

Given the back story behind the film's production, it's not surprising to see the film struggle for more plot around the half-hour mark. It's basically just one long chase, and for a supporting cast, we're introduced to an underground homeless group fighting for survival in the ruins outside the cities (the similarities to Johnny Mneumonic in this respect are bothersome). Compelling, this material is not.

But heavily flawed as the film is, the cast is solid, with Sinise delivering yet again another terrific performance. If there's any reason to care about Olham's situation, it's entirely because of Sinise. Decent support from the likes of Vincent D'onofrio, Madeleine Stowe, and Mekhi Phifer (looking like a young Keith David, might I add) keep things afloat and just interesting enough to hold my attention.

With a relatively modest budget (40M), there are some rather convincing special effects (barring the opening sequence, which actually borrows footage from Armageddon and Starship Troopers), as well as some genuinely awe-inspiring cityscapes. Fleder's quick-cuts keep Impostor from attaining the first-rate thrills it aspires for, but the film's fast pace ensures it's never dull and there are even a few exciting action sequences (most notably the hospital fight/chase). But best of all is the climactic plot twist, a no-holds barred surprise that boosts the film up a notch, even if it's resolved in somewhat head-scratching fashion. As a whole, the movie is middling, but there are enough inspired moments to make for a decent timewaster.
** 1/2 out of *****

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Good sci-fi elements...
Review: This exciting, but ultimitely forgettable flick takes "The Fugitive" with "Blade Runner" and gives us a pretty neat chase film that doesn't make too much of a lasting impression. Gary Sinise is a weapons designer who is accused of being an alien spy with a bomb implanted in him that will go off when he encounters the president. He races to prove his innocence. Not too long, running just over an hour and a half, this film makes for some good sci-fi fun while not really doing anything new. It's got some good special effects, but when the credits roll, the viewer is left with little more than when they started.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I wanted to give it 4 stars... but I watched it second time
Review: But I watched it second time , and changed my mind . I was lucky not to read reviews on it . I just wanted to watch a movie , which I didn't se before ... this one was next on Pay-Per-View . This is it . I didn't know about the same author , who wrote " Total Recall ", I new totally nothing about it . Than I read the reviews .
I remember , when " Dracula " came out in 1993 . I went to se it in the theater ... I was dessipointed ! Why ? Commercials showed me a good horrow movie ?! But this was mostly a love story . I was not prepared for it . I was upset .
Let me help you a little . Before you turn it on ... get ready for " The Thing " kind of film , with use of new technology . Not the " Total Recall " kind of film .
The main conflict is not the enemy , but the enemy within ... trust no one...including yourself .
When I watched it the second time - I paid more attention to little details . Do you know , what did I realise ? I realised the dipper conflict inside myself . I hated the government guy so much... then ... I suppose to be sorry for him . But I was not !
Than , today , the next day ... I was thinking about it ... he WAS right ! When you at war ... different rules . When you have no idea , what war is ... not easy to understand . Too bad , when someone trying to use the subject of wartime ... to do thear dirty bisness . And you know , I am not talking about THIS movie ?! Do you !?


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