Film
Bristol Science Film Festival: Bad Film Science – Stealth
- Director
- Rob Cohen
- Certificate
- 12A
- Running Time
- 121 mins
xXx director Rob Cohen‘s 2005 wannabe blockbuster hits full flight-simulator mode to pursue the war on terror over the skies of Tajikistan and Myanmar. Elite flyers Josh Lucas (concerned maverick), Jessica Biel (babe interest) and Jamie Foxx (disposable cool-dude sidekick) are all uncomfortable with the new unmanned aircraft joining their mission. Although the camera positively drools over its gleaming lines, the pilots aren’t so sure about removing initiative and moral judgment from the equation. Especially after a lightning flash sees the craft’s super-intelligent brain starting to behave erratically. Although it’s absolutely unquestioning in its acceptance of America’s role as global policeman, and predicates much of its set-pieces on the presumably thrilling sight of US firepower blasting assorted international terrorists to smithereens, the film’s sole point of interest is the note of caution threaded through the screenplay by 70s-generation writer W.D. Richter (Nickelodeon, the Philip Kaufman Invasion of the Body Snatchers) Indeed, preventing this turning into a all-in gung-ho zap-fest is the way it paints hawkish commander Sam Shepard as the villain for rushing the new AI-powered plane through its testing process, and shows the pilots desperately worried about their exploits causing civilian casualties.
But – hey! – how crappy is that science? The highlight of the annual Bristol Science Film Festival is their Bad Film Science event at which two teams of boffins go head to head as they chortle at a preposterous blockbuster. In previous years, they’ve eviscerated The Core and Deep Blue Sea. Expect much fun to be had at the expense of this one’s preposterousness. Go here for tickets and further information
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