Digital Media FX News Archives

Friday - May 25, 2001
- Pearl Harbor Slammed by Critics - Now Playing
- The Mummy Returns Makes Impact Overseas
- Tomb Raider Given PG-13 Rating
- News Link of the Day - The Syn-Thespians Are Coming

Pearl Harbor Slammed by Critics - Now Playing
(by digitalmediafx.com) Pearl Harbor opened today in 3,214 theaters to almost unanimous negative reviews, with some newspapers like the New York Post, referring to the movie as Pearl Horror. Here are quotes from various media reviews regarding the three hour movie:

"Yes, the 40-minute attack sequence in "Pearl Harbor" is as spectacular as you could imagine - but come prepared to suffer through hours of soggy, corny, predictable and interminable romantic drama." ~ Lou Lumenick of the New York Post.

"Ships, planes and water combust and collide in Pearl Harbor, but nothing else does in one of the wimpiest wartime romances ever filmed..." ~ USA Today.

"This is an exploitation picture hiding behind the flag, a national tragedy turned into a billion-dollar video game. What a shame that it takes a couple of hucksters to remind this country that pride and honor are actually supposed to mean something." ~ Paul Tatara of CNN.

"It’s all told in shorthand, as if the filmmakers assumed we were so hip to the conventions of movie romance that they needn’t bother laying the relationship’s emotional foundation. Without the familiar prop of action to fall back on, Bay seems worried that we might get bored. He doesn’t let his scenes breathe, and they come off feeling both fussy and truncated. The first hour of “Pearl Harbor” looks like a highlight reel—a trailer for itself." ~ David Ansen of Newsweek.

"When a Japanese military officer reports that "the task force" is 320 miles north of Pearl Harbor, we're one hour and 20 minutes into the movie. By then, you're ready to bomb something yourself. Perhaps they should have called this 'Bore-a, Bore-a, Bore-a.'..." ~ Desson Howe of The Washington Post.

"...after an hour of absurd, lump- in-the-throat romanticism, the arrival of the enemy comes as something of a relief. The crashing of bombs and the whine of bullets at least pushes Hans Zimmer's oppressive score into the background, and, in a further service to humanity, quiets the thundering bombast of Randall Wallace's dialogue." ~ A. O. Scott of The New York Times.

"The three leads are victims of bad dialogue and predictable plotting. With each new film, Mr. Affleck grows increasingly bland. At times you suspect that what was once said about a certain West Coast city is true of Mr. Affleck: There is no there there..." ~ Philip Wuntch of The Dallas Morning News.

Analysts are predicting that Pearl Harbor will make nearly $100 million in its 4-day opening weekend. The negative reviews, however, should benefit DreamWorks Shrek, which actually expanded into more theaters in its second weekend than last weekend when it opened to near record numbers for an animated film.

Michael Eisner isn't fretting, however, as he thinks Pearl Harbor will be Disney's biggest movie ever. In a letter to employees, Eisner stated, "'There are no sure things in the entertainment industry, but this comes close,'' Eisner said in a letter to employees. ''I've been telling anybody who would listen that this will be our biggest live action film ever.''

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The Mummy Returns Makes Impact Overseas
(by digitalmediafx.com) Universal Studios' The Mummy Returns movie is making a big splash overseas after opening in several countries last weekend. The FX-filled adventure had a gross of
£5,929,146 at 454 theatres in the UK and Ireland (including paid previews) for a massive £13,060 per screen average, making it the eighth-biggest opening weekend ever in this market.

In the U.S. market, The Mummy Returns surpased the $150 million mark Wednesday, on its way to becoming the first mega-blockbuster ($200 million or more) of the 2001 movie season.

In other Universal Studios news, the company claims that it has yet to make a profit on last year's highest grossing movie, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. According to the Wall Street Journal, this is in part due to back end guarantees the studio gave key filmmakers, allowing them to take a percentage of the money the film made. A similar process was used for Touchstone Pictures Pearl Harbor (Touchstone is a subsidiary of Disney).

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Tomb Raider Given PG-13 Rating
(by digitalmediafx.com) Tomb Raider, which goes head to head against Disney's Atlantis: The Lost Empire on June 15, has received a PG-13 rating by the Motion Picture Association of America. The official reason for the rating is for "action violence and some sensuality." Tomb Raider has been hit with several recent setbacks, including a last minute change of the film's composer, resulting in 100 minutes of music having to be rushed for the film (including orchestra recordings of select pieces) in just 14 days.

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News Link of the Day - The Syn-Thespians Are Coming

According to the New York Post

"Hollywood's freshest new face is a giant fake. Nothing about her is real - not her bobbed black hair, her pixie nose, flawless complexion or knock-out bod. She was born in a computer, but Dr. Aki Ross is poised for real-life stardom as the virtual heroine of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, Columbia's $100 million new sci-fi epic.

The brainy bombshell has already graced the cover of Maxim's Hottest 100 supplement (in a string bikini!) and women's magazines are clamoring for her beauty tips…"

Click here for the full story.

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