Friday, March 28, 2008
Movie Review: Vantage Point
To put it simply, I'd say the term 'point of no return' wouldn't really go well with "Vantage Point" since you'll be constantly returning to square one. Six times to be exact. Other words, you'll be experiencing the movie six times but from different perspectives. Think of it as a major déjà vu.
So, the movies started off with the President of the United States attending an anti-terrorism summit in Salamanca, Spain. We first saw the events that took place in the movie from the eyes of television news producer, Rex Brooks. From her, we learnt that the President was assassinated, followed by a bombing in the distance and another at the summit and...
*Beep*...rewind...
It's back to the start of the movie with the President still alive and kicking. Now, we view the events from the eyes of Secret Service agent, Thomas Barnes. Blah, blah, blah, the President is shot again and the bombing takes place. He managed to survive and we're given more insight on the situation, such as the possible location of the assassin and that a bomb was planted only after the shooting from a tourist's handycam. We also meet a man who rushed onto the the podium immediately after the President was shot. Next, we followed Barnes to the broadcast van where Rex is and there, he reviews the footage and we're about to find...
*Beep*...OMG!...rewind...
Look, we're back at square one. But now, we're viewing the events from the eyes of the person who charged onto the podium. His name was revealed to be Enrique and we learnt that he's a bodyguard of the mayor. From Enrique, we found out that he handed a bag to his 'sort-of' girlfriend. Bang! President's shot. Crowd scatters and Enrique spots his girlfriend tossing the bag under the podium. Next, he's caught by Barnes and questioned about his identity. Knowing that a bomb is gonna go off, he slips away and -- BOOM! Ok, he survived too. The agents gave chase but he managed to lose them. We then follow Enrique to an underpass, where he confronts a police car and...
*Beep*...what the...rewind...
Now, we're viewing events from Howard Lewis, the tourist we met during Barne's perspective. As usual, President is alive and kicking once again. As a tourist, Howard has a handycam in his arsenal. He begins filming the scene at the summit and bumps into a shady man known as Sam. The two conversed a little and a little girl named Anna knocks into Howard. Summit starts and President is shot...again. Barnes quickly approach Howard to see if he filmed anything suspicious. Oh no, it's a bomb! BOOM! Chaos ensues and Howard noticed that Anna is separated from her mother. Swipes her up and made way for the exit. He placed Anna with a police officer and did something which I think is really stupid. He took off after Enrique when he saw him running from the agents! Run, run, run, we stop and find Enrique confronting the police car. Bang, bang! He's shot by the pursuing agents. Howard films it all and finds Anna wandering in the middle of the road. Run, run, run...
*Beep*...I'm sure déjà vu wasn't part of its title...rewind...
Sweet. We're now watching from the perspective of the President. Turns out the one who got assassinated was a double. The real President is safe and sound in the comfort of his suite. He turns on the TV and watch as the summit takes place. Gasps! His double is shot! Think he's safe but he's not. There was a tremor and we learned that the first explosion heard during Rex's perspective took place at the hotel. A masked man breaks in and shoots out his bodyguards, leaving the President helpless and cornered...
*Beep*...I'll be damned...rewind...
Final perspective. The characters, except Rex, are all intertwined and we learn the people behind the assassination and bombing and not to mention, the déjà vus. In this final perspective, all previous loopholes are filled up. What Barnes saw at the van, what happened to Enrique after he was shot, did Howard save Anna, the President after he was abducted and all others. As for the answers to all the loopholes, that's for me to know and you to find out.
All in all, "Vantage Point" really should use the title "Major Déjà Vu".
Here's how it's like in short:
President's been shot! Ooh, tense. President's been shot! Yup, got it. President's been shot! Right, right, I guess we've all got that so could me move on now? President's been -- Are you deaf? I said I know so that kinda puts us on the same page! President's been shot! Oh...this is the part where I'm supposed to stomp my way out the cinema, right?
But, with the déjà vu part of it aside, the story is actually quite intense and keeps your adrenaline pumping. Besides, it's something new and it actually builds up the suspense with its 'been there, seen that' methods. Now, the problem is, six times of déjà vu could practically drive a sane person insane within seconds so I guess it's a little overboard. However, the story lacks interaction amongst the key characters. Because of it's déjà vus, character development was left out. In the end, we know nothing much about the characters and just that the President was shot. Worst of all, Sigourney Weaver had the least spotlight as Rex. She was only featured in her own perspective and Barnes'. Wonder how much she's paid for this role. As for the effects, there weren't much except for the bombing and the car chase during the final perspective. Also, due to the déjà vus, the ending was quite abrupt. It starts with how the terrorists planned the attack, leads to the shooting and bombing and ends without a bang. To put it simply, the ending did not live up to the suspense it had built throughout the entire movie.
My, my. This must've been the longest post I've ever written. I apologize if it's a little too much but I'll try to keep it short the next time. Checks out!
Last Updated @ 4:36 AM
Signed: Whoever was here...
