Storm Watch

This won't convince you as far as the story line goes and you won't be impressed by the direction and you will wonder why someone wanted to make an el cheapo Matrix and you will be befuddled how they got money for the project - but you still might enjoy it. Minimally.

Principal reason is the supporting cast which includes Nora Dunn, Serena Scott Thomas, and the extremely charismatic Vanessa Marcil. Perhaps Marcil is not all that charismatic otherwise - although her resume would argue she is - but in this context she literally shines. Right out of the mouthed dialogue with non-existent acting she pops in and takes over and you find yourself saying to yourself 'wow some real acting in this one'.

The others aren't always bad, but they're under-directed. Marcil, a star from 90210 and responsible for an unforgettable scene with Nicholas Cage in The Rock, plays yet another character here and does it to perfection.

So yes, the movie itself is fairly horrible, but if you have the cassette in and are not otherwise occupied, watch Dunn, Thomas, and especially Marcil do their stuff. They're great - especially Marcil. There is such a thing as acting talent - even in low budget movies that shouldn't have been made.

There's no point in typing a litany of all the things which are wrong with this movie. It would be a very long list. And, the list of things right with this movie....well, it doesn't exist. "Code Hunter" is one of those junk flicks which is so awful it's funny. So, if you want a good laugh at some pretty awful film making, give it a watch. (D)

"The hottest sex, the coolest technology, the most extreme adventure you've ever experienced. Anything's possible in SHOCK, the ultimate reality challenge," according to the DVD sleeve description, "America's best player is being pulled in to the ultimate cyber-terror. The game's mastermind has stolen his identity, put him on the FBI's most wanted list, and is blackmailing him to take part in a REAL twisted plan of world destruction. With just hours left, can the code be broken to save the world from total annihilation?"

The above synopsis is accurate, but the first sentence is extremely misleading.

Chances are very good you will find neither the "coolest technology" nor the "extreme adventure" promised. As for the "hottest sex," forget it. There is, actually NO SEX in "Storm Watch" which was re-titled "Virtual Storm" then "Code Hunter" (the title, at least, keeps getting better). The cast is very good looking, especially lead actor Nick Cornish (as Nick Chase) and his main female co-star Vanessa Marcil (as Tess Woodward); really, they look more like models than computer geek and lady reporter.

It's nice to see heroic "Highlander" star Adrian Paul (as "Neville") as the story's main villain, but his "AI" character dies on the vine. Wearing a succession of neon wigs, Bai Ling (as "Skylar") also drifts into irreverence. Tone-Loc and Coolio play non-musical roles. Of the others, programmer Scott Rinker (as Mason Neville Kemeny) is nicely cast and essays his characterization well. Bit player Adam Lieberman is outstanding as the hotel clerk. As company leader Richard Cox (as Richard Clark) says, "The proof is in the pudding."

*** Code Hunter (5/1/02) Terry Cunningham ~ Nick Cornish, Vanessa Marcil, Adrian Paul, Scott Rinker

Code hunter was really OK.

No Bad acting to speak of,no outstanding acting either,decent special effects and editing.

The Story was good enough to keep me watching and the writing was fine.

In a nut shell this is a cyber espionage story..with a few twists.

I liked Adrian Paul and he is OK in this,but he and Bai Ling were much better in that Vampire movie they did together.

Still worth a watch in the Dollar rental section.

If you want to buy it..look for it in the discount bin,it is where it belongs.

Grand to see a much simplified version of the basic principles of William Gibson's version of the Cyberpunk genre brought to life. Would have enjoyed more discourse between the two AI, but none the less I'm very happy to see this run it's course without ever targeting the lowest common denominator the way so many would be Cyberpunk contender films might. Also enjoyed the dialogue, the pacing, the use of the limited budget, and in all, the fact that this demonstrates that a film can be light and still be about character(s). A fun romp. Certainly not Matrix, but cool anyway. If nothing else, it proves that it's high time Neuromancer and Headcrash should be brought to the big screen. So I'd consider this a successful beta test.