‘A Sound of Thunder’ Movie Review (2005)

The fact is this is a fun summer romp. That’s not a term I like to throw around but it feels right here at the end of August. A Sound of Thunder never tries to be anything more than entertainment, so I’ve got to give the film some credit. As for the huge logic problems, the home computer CGI, hey I’m a forgiving type of guy.

The story is of time travel (and improper time manipulation) in the year 2055. It’s natural to think of this film as Timeline meets Jurassic Park except not written by Michael Crichton, perhaps he should try combining his books from here on out. I could see Disclosure meets The Great Train Robbery really killing at the box office. All digression aside in A Sound of Thunder time travel has been invented and is of course being used for pure profit by Ben Kingsley (who seems to be an older version of his character from Sneakers. You should also know this story has little in common with Days of Thunder so don’t roll in thinking this is a prequel. Ed Burns plays the lead scientist time traveler fellow and does so fairly well. He’s meant to be the swashbuckling, and yet of course the sensitive leading man. He hits his marks throughout the film. Catherine McCormack (Braveheart, Spy Games) plays the female lead who thankfully never really becomes a love interest. Yet another reason to give this film some credit. It knows its limitations.

I mentioned before the CGI looks absolutely terrible in spots. The year 2055 will evidently look a lot like today, but maybe less realistic. Some of the opening scenes were Burns and McCormack are walking around look completely fake. More fake than I could have done at Kinko’s. When the movie switches to the past and the dinosaurs I swear I saw a Toys R’ Us price tag on the menacing dino. That can’t be good. This movie was delayed a year and I’m guessing it was to give anyone associated with the CGI a chance to build up their resume before this storm hit them. The science is also quite suspect but I think suspending disbelief is fairly easy here. The whole world, the whole movie is built around a few silly premises but the cast buys into them so I think the audience will to. I usually have more problems with films that try and be realistic and then slip in a few idiotic things. That’s not what happens here, A Sound of Thunder is science fiction through and through.

All bickering aside this film works on a number of levels. People in the audience were laughing during some of the “serious” scenes but I don’t really think that’s a bad thing. Some films are just hams you know? It’s like your kid brother who runs into walls a lot. You still love him right? I also found myself relatively entertained and interested in where the film was going. The concept itself is compelling and complex, the execution is average, which leaves us with an above average film overall. Not a bad film if you are in need of a movie fix.

GRADE: C+

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