Review: Stealth

Rated PG-13 | 121 mins

IMDB Info

Stealth is a movie about three Navy fighter-pilots who are chosen to be the first to fly missions aside a UCAV, an “Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle”. The UCAV is a plane controlled by artificial intelligence and, at first, does exactly what they want it to do. But wait. The screenwriters forgot about this little thing called a plot! What will they do? Oh, yeah! Allow the A.I. to form feelings of its own and turn against its team! It’ll say things to them like “I will not follow your orders” in a very monotone, computer-like voice! They will have to overcome the evil danger it puts them in!

And they work from there. Stealth is surely the bearer of one of Hollywood’s dopiest premises to date. Fortunately, Columbia Pictures was willing to shell out $100 million dollars to make it, allowing them to hire a director and cast that were able to at least make it tolerable to watch. Sure, Rob Cohen, Josh Lucas, and Jessica Biel aren’t exactly Martin Scorsese, Robert DeNiro, and Jodie Foster, but they handle the material provided fairly well. Each plays off of their strengths. Cohen knows how to turn obvious climaxes into suspenseful ones, Biel knows that she looks best in a bikini, and Lucas knows that he can be convincing when he tries. In cahoots with a talented visual effects team, they provide Stealth with enough life to allow it to mildly entertain viewers while they watch it, even if they walk out of the theatre only to realize how stupid it actually was. This achievement was actually a rather remarkable one; they were able to make something out of nothing.