$28 million on this pile of crap? Where did the money go? Yes, I'm a fan of Carpenter, but not on this one. Carpenter always has had a sort of cheesiness element comprising his films, but this one is inundated with cheese, in fact it's pure cheese. "GOM" isn't scary, it's just plain annoying. And while I enjoy much of Carpenter's work, I never thought it was deserving as having his name proudly displayed before the title of every film he directs. I can name about twenty directors that are much better than John Carpenter. I believe Carpenter took an extended leave from film making after this film, which was a good idea; this guy is just burnt out. But the big problem with "GOM" is that the acting is atrocious! And I mean atrocious.
Natasha Henstridge's performance as Lieutenant Melanie Ballard is literally one of the most unlikeable and unbelievable performances I've ever seen. Henstridge couldn't act her way out of a Kleenex box. Pam Grier's performance as Commander Helena Braddock is ridiculous and revolting, especially the scene where Braddock romantically hits on Ballard!? Give me a break! Grier also turns in an equally poor acting performance. Then there's Jason Statham as Sgt Jericho Butler, another tough guy acting moron that plays his own selfish egomaniac personality in every acting role he's paid for. Statham's character, while fighting for his life, also finds numerous occasions to hit on Braddock's character; it's annoying and doesn't work. Ice Cube also plays himself as Desolation Williams: An ignorant no talent thug crook, who's only importance are his equally ignorant nasty friends whom look up to his terrible personality. Ice Cube has never been an acting talent and never will be. Please, may I never have to see his ugly face in another film ever. I could go on through the list of supporting actors, but all that needs to be said is there wasn't one redeeming performance.
Moving away from the horrific casting decisions, I can basically rip apart every aspect of the production end of this steaming pile of crap. The script is mind numbingly stupid, which is a bad combination considering the terrible acting talent they brought to this production. This also has to be one the worst sound scores Carpenter has ever attached to one his films. I own the full studio sound scores for many of Carpenter's earliest films; but this sound score is just flat out nauseating. It's heavily based on head ache inducing heavy metal by the likes of ANTHRAX! Yikes. As for the film taking place in the year 2071, the technology, including guns, vehicles, and buildings, look eerily similar to late 90's design and influence; really, give me a break. The train special effects look like advanced Japanese Godzilla puppeteer effects. This flick is just a big strike out all the way around.
Natasha Henstridge's performance as Lieutenant Melanie Ballard is literally one of the most unlikeable and unbelievable performances I've ever seen. Henstridge couldn't act her way out of a Kleenex box. Pam Grier's performance as Commander Helena Braddock is ridiculous and revolting, especially the scene where Braddock romantically hits on Ballard!? Give me a break! Grier also turns in an equally poor acting performance. Then there's Jason Statham as Sgt Jericho Butler, another tough guy acting moron that plays his own selfish egomaniac personality in every acting role he's paid for. Statham's character, while fighting for his life, also finds numerous occasions to hit on Braddock's character; it's annoying and doesn't work. Ice Cube also plays himself as Desolation Williams: An ignorant no talent thug crook, who's only importance are his equally ignorant nasty friends whom look up to his terrible personality. Ice Cube has never been an acting talent and never will be. Please, may I never have to see his ugly face in another film ever. I could go on through the list of supporting actors, but all that needs to be said is there wasn't one redeeming performance.
Moving away from the horrific casting decisions, I can basically rip apart every aspect of the production end of this steaming pile of crap. The script is mind numbingly stupid, which is a bad combination considering the terrible acting talent they brought to this production. This also has to be one the worst sound scores Carpenter has ever attached to one his films. I own the full studio sound scores for many of Carpenter's earliest films; but this sound score is just flat out nauseating. It's heavily based on head ache inducing heavy metal by the likes of ANTHRAX! Yikes. As for the film taking place in the year 2071, the technology, including guns, vehicles, and buildings, look eerily similar to late 90's design and influence; really, give me a break. The train special effects look like advanced Japanese Godzilla puppeteer effects. This flick is just a big strike out all the way around.
