Mike Ransom

I saw the movie blind, no expectations, knowledge of the plot, or idea of what kind of movie it was. By 30 minutes or so, I was wondering if I should have boned up on it, because I found little resonance or understanding of where the director was going with all this. The terrorist group seemed 60s-ish rather than 1990s or 2000s or whenever they were supposed to have originated. They seemed more on an adrenaline power jag than passionate about a cause. Very hard to swallow that this ragtag group was capable of maintaining any kind of discipline or even existence over a 16-year period. With a character name like "Col. Lockjaw" I had to assume it was an attempt at Strangelovian satire. However, the movie seemed more interested in ticking off the boxes for various currently hot cultural topics. It wasn't coherent enough to be effective satire even if you could figure out what it is satirizing. There were many good things about the movie: some of the acting, the cinematography, I even liked the soundtrack. But I never got my bearings on the plot or context or tone enough to care which battle was coming up next. After the movie, I saw that the director had made a couple of movies I liked: Licorice Pizza and Boogie Nights. This one seemed to be a misfire. I give it two stars rather than one, because it wasn't boring from moment to moment.

Life is but a dream ("you can't wake up if you don't fall asleep") "All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts" Meaning is where you find it, not in the stars Charlie Kaufman

Kinetic popcorn movie, don’t expect the sci-fi to hold up under any degree of scrutiny. OK for what it is.

If you like to watch mopey kids trudge through tundra while mopey music tries to persuade you that what you are seeing is profound, you will love this show.

Coming after "Dark City" and even Star Trek NextGen holodeck adventures, not particularly successful in my book.

I saw 2001 when it came out. This movie followed some of its plot points, but was an original and impressive take on the same theme.