On the one hand, I realize I may not appreciate it the way fans of the series do. On the other hand, I do love science-fiction considerably, and have since childhood. Thus, I may be far more critical than the average viewer because I have seen enough sci-fi that doesn’t stand up to normal dramatic standards and I’d like to see more that does. Though it takes some time…
Two men exit what appears to be a motel. As they approach the car, one of them is getting prepared to leave. He drives up a few feet, and then stops. This is an interesting shot, both because it’s setting an unusually comical tone for such a serious film, and because the camera, in a medium-wide profile shot, stays locked to the car’s movement…
Somewhere over the Caribbean, a plane goes down in a storm. Our only indication of the nature of the occupants and cargo is a man toting a gun who, along with the pilots, gets bounced about and killed when the plane crashes. Naturally, this will be important later, but right now, we must move on to the fat guy swimming upside down—presumably learning snorkeling from…