Review/Warning - A Sound of Thunder

Matt Goltz
28 September 2005

Poor Peter Hyams. His name once meant something, kinda. I love Running Scared and even dig Narrow Margin, Outland, 2010, The Presidio as weak but fun flicks. But A Sound of Thunder... oh, my. It's worse than The Ring Two - and those who know me know how bad I believe that to be*. Bradbury should rise from the grave and kick Hyams's ass. ("Keeper Of The Books" Mark Nelson later informed me that the beloved sci-fi master was still very much alive, continuing "...but seeing A Sound Of Thunder might kill him.")

In fact, I'm giving it a single star (* out of four) review for the amazing wealth of unintentional laughter.  "Mystery Science Theater 3000" was created for crap like this.

We have terrible CGI effects. Ed Burns is so wooden he should change his name to Maple Treeman. Ben Kinglsey has fun and is hysterical in his goofiness -- he, perhaps, the only one smart enough to just not give a crap.  

About 20 minutes in, the audience turned on the screening like a pack of gorillizards (which is what I've decided to call the pseudo monsters who apparrently come to rule the world of 2055).

Much laughter was had last night in the Loews ("Bloews?") Boston Common Cinema; this, after yet another technical snafu, which are amazingly commonplace there. This time, the entire theater full of people had to be moved three theaters down the hall when it was realized that the Loews projection staff had started playing the film in the wrong room. We missed the first three or four minutes, or so it seemed. I'm betting we missed nothing at all.

A Sound Of Thunder is, however, the perfect shit-movie-night movie. I'd see it again in a moment if we of The Film Basement could all see it together. And if you, dear reader, decide to subject yourself to this turkey shoot of a movie... consider me there in spirit. For more likely than not, you will soon be surrounded by... A Sound Of An Empty Theater.

--mg

* Look for Matt's Buried in the Basement article on The Ring Two to be posted soon.