Juízo Final

Normally, when a film rates this low, I find other things to like about it. Namely, its silliness. To say I didn't laugh throughout this film would be a lie. This movie provides a great many laughs. Its just. . . well, this is not supposed to be a comedy.

Even so, I enjoyed other awful attempts at seriousness. Examples include Disney's, "Epcot: The Celebration," and Ed Wood's "Plan 9 From Outer Space." The difference with "Y2K" is that they are exploiting real fears. Similar to "Reds," the subject matter is deadly serious. "Reds" ranked a one in my book by candy coating a serious subject, in a ridiculous movie formula. The same goes for "Y2K."

The only thing these films have in common besides their poor rating, is the fact that they highlight fiction. On the one hand the fiction of the great communist movement, and on the other the fiction of the great threat to our times, the year 2000 computer problem. Give me a break on both fronts.

Why they called this movie Y2K is beyond me! What starts out as promising loses a lot as the movie winds on. The plot and the acting is slightly second rate and I found that by the end the countdown did not engage the viewer. Tying the plot to a Columbian drug lord at the end was just too much. Passable.

Louis Gossett, Jr., Jamiz Woolvett, Ed O'Ross. People must stop a computer from launching nuclear bombs.

This is like an odd blend of War Games and Navy Seals, though it works! The performances contributed here are all above par for a movie of this type. One does not typically expect realism from these American GI movies, as most often than not, the budget goes towards effects, high dollar action stars, and location shooting than script, props, or good performances. So imagine my surprise when I came across this little underdog.

Awesome action, with a little humor peppered throughout, and some awesome acts, this actioner walks you through some very suspenseful moments, high action sequences, and beautiful settings.

All in all? It is an enjoyable surprise if you like the military-type actioners. Otherwise, there is no reason to go here, as it's all about military action.

It rates a 7.1/10 from...

the Fiend :.

Louis Gossett Jr. is always watchable. I wasn't expecting this film to be as good and as entertaining as it turned out. I'm not saying it was brilliant, but I didn't feel like I wasted an afternoon. Mostly, I felt Gossett needs to be in better films that are up to his talents. But it was a good effort, none the less. I haven't watched it in a while, but I'm willing to see it again. I did feel the so-called "comedy" was a bit over-arched. And I like humor breaking up some dramatic moments. Done well, (like the way David Lynch does it) is nothing short of genius. But in this film it just seemed a bit silly and made to take up time. And not as character driven as it really should be.

Nice idea. A secret silo has a computer failure at the change of the year (y2k, get the title?). A skilled team is coerced to go in and fix it, but their efforts are fatigued by drug lords and internal US armed forces strife. Unfortunately the characters are hollow and the idea is poorly executed. Remove the y2k theme and the glib characters, and there might be a solid movie here. Definitely worthy of a remake! If you watch it, don't sweat the details (which aren't terrible, just bad) and try to enjoy the underlying concept. While the current version is a 'MacGyver' movie (at best), a remake could be on par with 'Force 10 from Navarone.' If you like tension, a good plot, well developed characters, and nice plot twists... wait for the remake.