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REVIEWSPREVIEWS
The
Alamo
The Alamo is a historical fort in Texas, which was once the most significant site in Texas’ war of independence against Mexico. Based on a true story, The Alamo interprets the events that took place in 1836 between the well-trained Mexican army on the Alamo, which was staunchly guarded by the Texan army.
The Texans defend the fort till the last man, led by the legendary Davy Crockett and consequently, the Mexicans are successful in obliterating the rival forces. However, the Texans don’t rest easy as the crushing defeat is avenged by Sam Houston (Dennis Quaid). The following battle with the Mexican army eventually leads to the independence of Texas and its accession to the United States of America as the 28th state.
The story progresses very slowly and it takes almost an hour for the real adventure to begin. Although the film is based on real events, the characters lack reality and conviction and the sets are also not historically accurate, except for the fort. However, some of the battle scenes are really convincing.
For all those fans of historical flicks, The Alamo is a fine treat, though one feels it could have been better! —Aftab Borka
Scooby Doo 2:
Monsters Unleashed
The first Scooby Doo movie was stupid and full of overacting. Yet it was surprisingly funny in part because some of the jokes actually worked. The sequel, on the other hand, lacks all those traits and comes across as a half-hearted stab at moviemaking. Employing every known cliché in the book, Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed is bland and insipid at best. The artificial look of the computer-generated Scooby is pretty noticeable.
Scooby Doo 2 doesn’t have much of a plot to work with. Scooby and “those meddling kids” (Mystery Inc.) are being hailed by the people of Coolsville as crime-busting heroes. The Coolsonian Museum is paying homage to the gang by holding a costumed exhibition of Mystery Inc.’s vanquished foes including the Pterodactyl Ghost, Captain Cutler, the 10,000 Volt Ghost and the Black Knight Ghost. But at the grand opening, the monsters come to life and a masked villain pledges to ruin Mystery Inc. The gang must put their differences aside and battle the evil mastermind behind the wicked ploy.
The film is only mildly successful in bringing the classic TV cartoon series to life. With flimsy and unconvincing acting, a disinterested cast, gaudy special effects and mediocre directing, this sequel should have been titled Scooby Doo 2: Stupidity Unleashed. —Taimur Saleem
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