Pros and cons


It mixes the concept of “Westworld” (1973) and “Futureworld” (1976) with elements of “Blade Runner” (1982), “Groundhog Day” (1993), “Universal Soldier” (1992) and “The Island” (2005). While it only cost $10 million and you can’t expect blockbuster production values, it’s more polished than the average SyFy flick, which usually only cost $3 million or less.

What turned me off is the eye-rolling way the security guards at the resort couldn’t hit the side of a barn while inside the barn; meanwhile the cop rarely misses. Sure, this is done in a lot in movies, but there’s a way to do it that looks relatively realistic and doesn’t insult the intelligence of the viewer. Not so here.

Thankfully “Vice” shoots for some depth amidst its action thrills. For instance, there’s the question of robotic self-awareness, which was explored with Data in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Then there’s the debate over media violence & sex, whether in movies or video games. Does it provide an outlet for people to purge their debased desires or does it encourage that behavior in the real world? Lastly, there’s a halfhearted commentary on religious fundamentalism and spirituality.

Ambyr Childers comes across as a low rent meshing of Malin Akerman and Alicia Silverstone, but in her mid-20s. She’s a’right, but I would've preferred someone of the caliber of Scarlett Johannson or Silverstone when she was younger.

While lackluster in some ways (due to its low-budget), I liked the reverent tone and the profundities amid the thrills, not to mention Jane’s entertaining performance as the disheveled tough cop. It’s at least marginally better than “Westworld” (1973), which, let’s face it, wasn’t exactly a masterpiece.

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took me a week to yawn my way through this movie.

wow. the guy's review above is spot on. nothing to add except it was well filmed and the audio is well done. over all, just Blaze'. I only continued watching to note the cheap production tricks: crazy lighting where it made no sense, crazy smoke or fog, etc

While all aspects of it are moderately "well done", it just doesn't work due to the script/plot/story.

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