WHAT WAS YOUR */10 RATING ?

I feel like the presentation alone might get a 6/10 because there is some overacting and silliness as well as some odd pacing choices. Maybe some scenes could have been cut entirely. Still very well-directed overall but lots of odd choices and it is very over-the-top. You have to kind of buy into it before enjoying it if that makes sense.

However, I give the movie an 7/10 because the narrative is so strong. You have to keep in mind what an odd but very important story this is... it isn't a fantasy/sci-fi movie about saving the galaxy; it is a movie about the illusions of conflict manufactured by powers that dictate the actions of the common man. Powers that be determine it is time to go to war and the common soldier ends up realizing that he has more in common with his enemy than his supposed "friends". It also makes a strong point about racism.

It is a story that has a great arch with all its characters and remains entirely focused on them above anything else. Quaid and Jeriba both become friends with their enemy. Quaid literally goes from wanting to kill Jeriba in the 1st encounters to being willing to die to save Jeriba's son. It is a very moving concept and was handled remarkably well. I believed in the friendship that arises between the two main characters and then believed in the father-son relationship with the alien kid. It is a powerful story and I loved that it was not an epic or too broad a concept; it focused exclusively on character growth and that is perhaps one of the hardest things to film properly.

So 7/10 overall.

7/10, with a slight childhood bias. Good core story concept and professionally executed. Kind of a underrated movie.

Dictated but not read, dude.

9/10 very charming, i'd put it top 5 most charming films.