BEFORE: Like "Jumper", this is a film about people with super-human abilities coming in conflict with government agents - which has sort of been the theme this whole week. And we link from Samuel L. Jackson to Chris Evans (last seen in "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer") through the "Captain America" movie that's in theaters now.
THE PLOT: Two young Americans with special abilities must race to find a girl in Hong Kong before a shadowy government organization called Division does.
AFTER: I had high hopes for this one - put a few people with different psychic abilities together, and you could be just a few uniforms shy of an "X-Men" movie, or perhaps something like the "Heroes" TV show. And with a young girl who can see the future, the storyline has the potential to match the work Peter David's currently writing for "X-Factor". I seem to recall a similar storyline in "X-Men" comics a few years ago, with a drug that enhanced mutant super-powers.
But although this may make for a great comic-book, or a killer video-game, I'm not sure it makes for a great film. I found it way too confusing, to the point of frustration. The problems started when the two opposing sides (one is that old standby, the shadowy government operation) both realized that the other side ALSO has a person who can predict the future - if both sides can see what the other's going to do, then how does anybody make a move?
So our heroes, the psychic and the telekinetic, employ a tactic where they devise a plan, and then use a mind-wiping telepath to make them forget it. That's right, the characters learn valuable information, devise a plan, and then get it out of their heads, leaving themselves action-steps on little notes, like the guy in "Memento".
But it was hard for me to keep track of who knew what, and when, and whether they were made to forget something or not. It shouldn't be this hard to watch a movie! I half expected the heroes to completely forget what they were trying to accomplish, and just amble away from the main action. Can I use a mind-wiper to forget this plot? Oh wait, I never really learned it anyway.
There are a couple interesting ideas here - like another telepath who can implant an entire false history into someone's head, which here is called a "push". So someone can be mind-controlled, or manipulated to avenge their dead (but non-existent) brother, which is pretty original as far as powers go.
And I'm all for a good chase-the-mystery suitcase film, especially if it's got a good double-bluff, or even a triple. But when the bluff goes 7 levels deep, that seems like overkill. And the loyalties were always shifting - so many characters were playing both sides, it was difficult to keep track. Again, these films work best when the characters have clear goals - who do they work for, what are they trying to accomplish?
Plus, like in "Jumper", there's not really a resolution to the main battle - it almost feels like everyone got tired of fighting and just agreed to call it a night. Can't say as I blame them.
I could go in a couple different directions from here - I could watch "The Losers", starring Chris Evans. Or I could go back to superhero films, but I'm waiting on copies of "Green Hornet", "Thor", "X-Men: First Class", and so on. No, I'll stick with the concept of conspiracies, shadow ops groups, and implanting memories - if you're playing along at home, you should have no trouble predicting what tomorrow's movie will be.
Also starring Dakota Fanning (last seen in "I Am Sam"), Djimon Hounsou (last seen in "Stargate"), Corey Stoll (last seen in "The Number 23"), and Ming-Na.
RATING: 4 out of 10 fish tanks
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