Z/Web

If you want to study what makes a bad film, this would be an ideal candidate. I thought it was low-budget and targeted at kids when I saw the promos, but its technical quality is well above a made-for-DVD release and it’s got an impressive cast (Tim Allen, Courtney Cox, Chevy Chase, etc.). The basic concept of the film isn’t that bad — a school for kids with super-human abilities — and I was surprised to learn it was based on a comic book series. The script even has a little humor and isn’t the worst. But somehow nothing comes together. Every joke falls flat, the pacing is jerky and awkward, as though the editors were on speed with they put it together, logic and realism is thrown out the window, everything’s a stereotype, and it soon seems as though the film’s only reason for existence is to humiliate one-time stars (like Chevy) with dreadfully unfunny scenes like having a skunk spray right in his face. Literally this is probably the worst film I have seen in my entire life. It’s unspeakably bad. I’d give it a negative rating if I could.

Nicely acted, slow-paced film about a criminal (Kevin Bacon) released on parole and trying to fit back into society. We aren’t told his crime initially but we get the dreadful feeling we have an idea and are conflicted. We have sympathy for him but his crime is reprehensible. But is he reformed? Occasionally he acts like it, but other times it’s hard to tell and we wonder. He seems to have remorse and worries he will fail again. This culminates in the movie’s most dramatic scene where the man is tempted to act and we wonder what he will choose. That’s when the predictable takes a twist — and it’s a really cool result. I won’t spoil it by explaining it, but trust that this is a serious look at a taboo subject. Well worth your time.