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I'm
Chain Reaction starts off with an intriguing premise and goes downhill from there, despite trying really hard to be a tense techno-thriller.
In
The initial idea, of a new ... Read review
A student machinist (Keanu Reeves) finds himself caught in a maze of secret government ... more
cover-ups, high-tech espionage and murder after working on a groundbreaking scientific experiment. Eddie Kasalivich (Reeves) and Lily Sinclair (Rachel Weisz) are par...
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Two scientists (Keanu Reeves and Rachel Weisz) find themselves caught in a maze of secret ... more
government cover-ups, high-tech espionage and murder after working on a groundbreaking scientific experiments. Their only hope lies with a powerful and mysterious bureaucrat (Morgan Freeman) who may or may not be on their side.
After his alternate-fuel research lab blows up, a brilliant young scientist (Keanu Reeves) ... more
is wrongly pegged as the saboteur in this action-thriller from the director of THE FUGITIVE. Teaming up with a beautiful physicist, the scruffy techie struggles to evade federal agents and uncover the conspiracy behind the crime.
Production Year: 1977 - Action/Adventure - Director: Clint Eastwood - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring:Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Pat Hingle, William Prince, Bill McKinney
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
Advantages: It tries really hard to be a tense techno-thriller... Disadvantages: ... but fails, mainly through poor editing and production style.
...I'm
Chain Reaction starts off with an intriguing premise and goes downhill from there, despite trying really hard to be a tense techno-thriller.
In
The initial idea, of a new power-source being developed from water (we're not talking traditional hydro-power here though) - which supposedly has the capacity to use the hydrogen in small glass of water to power the whole city of Chicago for weeks -is brilliant. ... ...bad.
Chain
There's a brain behind this film (somewhat a rarity for this genre), but unfortunately it's been rather lost in the translation. It's almost as though someone said, "Hey, here's a brilliant idea for a film, let's turn it into a mediocre movie" - and lo! - it became so.
It's certainly not a terrible film - watching it didn't leave me feeling that part of my life had been stolen - ... more
<<<< FILM-ONLY REVIEW>>>>
<<<<Because I never got round to watching the DVD extras!!>>>>
I'm
Chain Reaction starts off with an intriguing premise and goes downhill from there, despite trying really hard to be a tense techno-thriller.
In
The initial idea, of a new power-source being developed from water (we're not talking traditional hydro-power here though) - which supposedly has the capacity to use the hydrogen in small glass of water to power the whole city of Chicago for weeks -is brilliant. The idea of the rich and powerful oil companies being desperate to stop this is entirely credible. The idea of an eccentric scientist wanting to actually give away this technology is less believable but forgivable. The idea of a secret government agency getting involved is plausible. Sabotage of the research plant the night that the breakthrough is made seems reasonable enough. Even Keanu Reeves as a maverick machinist (yes, I know - there's just something so wrong with that idea) involved with the project for some reason going back to the research centre just in time to see proof that the reason for the explosion was definitely sabotage can be forgiven as poetic licence. But Rachel Weisz's unbelievably phoney and entirely unnecessary upper-class English accent? That I can't forgive. (At the time I originally wrote this review I didn't know she was actually born in England - London no less! Now I simply can't believe it, I still say she sounds fake in this and, to a lesser extent, "About A Boy".)
The
Given the strength of the initial premise, it's a pity that the film didn't adopt a much more thoughtful stance than it does. It's also a pity that the producers decided to use what I term "The Phantom Menace Approach" - that is, cutting between scenes so fast and for so little reason that any plot coherency that may have existed evaporates in confusion - thus destroying the chances for this film to be more than the series of set pieces that it ends up being. (In case anyone read the book review I just posted - yes, I did say the same thing about that book. It's just coincidence, believe me.)
Middle
Eddie (Keanu Reeves) is suspected of being involved in the sabotage and thus has to flee, his only companion being Rachel Weisz (who is only there to look vulnerable, have silly accent, and give Reeves something to protect and possibly fall in love with… oh and did I mention her silly accent?), and his only contact that he can (possibly) rely on a mysterious character played by Morgan Freeman.
Of
Reeves does reasonably well in his role (he's not quite as wooden as in his role as Neo in the Matrix Trilogy), Morgan Freeman is suitably mysterious, Rachel Weisz has such a pathetic character to play that there's no chance she can do anything with her role (I'm assuming someone told her to put on that accent - she sounds like the queen would sound if she was on diuretics - if the accent was her own idea, she should be punished), and the bit-part actors and actresses are competent enough.
A
The plot buzzes along well enough apart from the stupid way the scenes cut incoherently every few seconds - this also disperses very quickly any tension that is generated. There's a fair amount of techobabble liberally thrown in at various points of the film, and I'm the sort of weirdo that actually enjoys that sort of thing. The stunts are generally good and the special effects quite impressive. As an all-out action flick it's not bad.
Chain
There's a brain behind this film (somewhat a rarity for this genre), but unfortunately it's been rather lost in the translation. It's almost as though someone said, "Hey, here's a brilliant idea for a film, let's turn it into a mediocre movie" - and lo! - it became so.
It's certainly not a terrible film - watching it didn't leave me feeling that part of my life had been stolen - just that I hadn't made a profit on what time I'd spent.
Reaction
The 3-star "Average" rating sums it all up really. It's better than a lot of films, and worse than a lot of films, and in the big scheme of things it's firmly in the middle and completely forgettable. Which is a crying shame, since it could have been so much more. Better production and editing would have improved things immensely.
My final thought - it's from the same people who brought us "The Fugitive". If only this film had matched up to it.
...blow.
This is where the chain reaction begins, Eddie grabs his bike, and gets out sharpish, just missing death as the building and machinery explode taking out the whole north side of Chicago.
With this nuclear style explosion, everyone gets involved, police, FBI, reporters, the works.
By morning it's made clear what's happened, and as the questioning begins, but so do the set ups. Within a few hours Eddie and Lily are in the frame for murder ... ...heats up quickly with chase after chase as they try to clear their names, and find out the truth. Through a series of events and after tons of action, they trace things back to a top secret facility, which later becomes the scene of even more mayhem, as the people behind it eagerly try to revive the secret to this new hydrogen fuel. For that they need Eddie.
Anyway Lily gets snatched and taken to the top secret C-Systems, shortly followed by Eddie ...
Trev1000 17.04.2001 (09.04.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Chain Reaction (DVD)
Advantages: Great action movie Disadvantages: None for me
If your cup of tea in the film world is a fast action chase across the country then this film is for you. Starring Keanu Reeves as Eddie Kasalivich a scientist working on a cheap energy project, the film opens with an experiment into splitting water into its constituent parts of hydrogen and oxygen. Now there is nothing new in that as it is already possible to do that in real life but the energy required is greater than the energy that would be released ... ...Eddie’s team discover a way of doing it rapidly and safely with little energy input. The ramifications are enormous as this means the world’s energy problems are solved because after all ¾ of the world is covered in water and the petroleum industry would be redundant overnight.
Someone doesn’t like the new discovery and whilst Eddie is walking Lily Sinclair (Rachael Weisz) home after the celebratory party, the opposition plants ...
jimbuck 11.05.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Chain Reaction (DVD)
Advantages: Fast action movie Disadvantages: None for me
If your cup of tea in the film world is a fast action chase across the country then this film is for you. Starring Keanu Reeves as Eddie Kasalivich a scientist working on a cheap energy project, the film opens with an experiment into splitting water into its constituent parts of hydrogen and oxygen. Now there is nothing new in that as it is already possible to do that in real life but the energy required is greater than the energy that would be released ... ...Eddie’s team discover a way of doing it rapidly and safely with little energy input. The ramifications are enormous as this means the world’s energy problems are solved because after all ¾ of the world is covered in water and the petroleum industry would be redundant overnight.
Someone doesn’t like the new discovery and whilst Eddie is walking Lily Sinclair (Rachael Weisz) home after the celebratory party, the opposition plants ...
jimbuck 11.05.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Chain Reaction (DVD)
Advantages: Good story, Action packed Disadvantages: Nothing
Great cast and an even better storyline. From start to finish this film will keep you interested. With some twists and turns this film is one to see. Keanu and Rachel make a great partnership as they do in Constantine. Together in this movie they stuggle to find the truth about a project gone bad. Helping them is Morgan Freeman and collectively the journey takes them on a voyage of discovery about who is really on thier side and who is not. The visual ...
WELSHW0LF 28.05.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Chain Reaction (DVD)
Thoughugh this film is incomprehensibly confusing with government secret departments that even the FBI don't know about it and inexplicable and highly improbable methods of producing hydrogen, the action scenes are compelling. Rachel Weisz's English accent was highly questionable and so was Keanu's haircut. Kudos to him for passing as a student at the age of 31. Morgan Freeman exuded charisma as ever and his character was mysterious and maintained ... ...I couldn't quite tell. This may be a flaw in the direction that ordinary people have to watch the film at least 3 times before they understand it or it may just be me being thick!
Very little estras or bonuses either call into question the price, but you'll never see iot on TV so buy now ...
the_g_con 02.02.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Chain Reaction (DVD)
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Advantages: 3 films for the price of 1 Disadvantages: No extras
one!
Good Film, Good entertainment!
Director:- Edward Zwick
Cast include's:- Bruce Willis, Denzel Washington, Annette Bening, Tony Shalhoub
Run Time:- 111mins approx
ChainReaction
This film has lots of great bits, namely miss Weisz! And is good entertainment! As with the previous films in this boxset it is fast paced, edge of the seat suspense. The plot is set around a scientific experiment to produce an inexhaustable energy supply, (really!!!) and the big wigs of the power industry ain't to happy to supply free energy for free! Murder and espionage ensue, along with a hugh explosion which nearly takes out the main characters! Had it and the film could have ended... but they didn't so that left me oggling Ms Weisz for a while longer!
Good film, great entertainment!
Director:- Andrew Davis
Cast include's:- Keanu Reeves ...
Advantages: you can see all the videoes ! Disadvantages: None!
Steps Gold Greatest Hits is a great video to add to your steps collection!This really is a must have for every steps fan!
This dvd features all the videos to all the songs steps have released in the charts.
ChainReaction
Here and now
You'll be sorry
It's the way you make me feel
stomp
summer of love
when i said goodbye
deeper shade of blue
say you'll be mine
better the devil you know
after the love has gone
love's got a hold on my heart
better best forgotten
tragedy
heartbeat
one for sorrow
last thing on my mind
5,6,7,8
I bought this video from my local charity shop for a £1
The running time of this video is approx 82.56 minutes!
This video was released in 2001 by Zomba.
Each video is introduced by the band themselves.On the video , steps reveal facts from when they were filming the videoes.
This video ...
Advantages: Pure STEPS pop at its best! Disadvantages: Poorly made DVD
Him So Well
Bittersweet
Baby Don't Dance
Last Thing On My Mind
Close To Me
You'll Be Sorry
Medley of Better The Devil You Know/Summer Of Love/Better Best Forgotten
Encore of STOMP W.I.P Mix
Tragedy
ChainReaction
Personally speaking as a steps fan, i loved the DVD. Although there were no extras on the DVD and the cover shot if im honest is dire!!!
This is a must have for fans of the band. Gone are the cheesy outfits that were once worn and say hello to the casual outfits. There are even one or two nice outfits that the ladies wear!!
My favourite tracks on were Believe, as performed by H solo,Its The Way You Make Me Feel as performed by all five members LIVE,Baby Dont Dance as there is a wee dance to learn lol and finally ChainReaction, one of my all time great tunes...
The cost of this DVD on average will set you back ...
A student machinist, Eddie, gets involved in a maze of government cover-ups, espionage and murder. Eddie and Lily, another member of his team, realise that their only hope lies with a powerful bureaucrat...
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment; Deluxe Video Service - Fox, PLASTIC HEAD, 20TH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Czech, Danish, English, Finnish, Hebrew, Hungarian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Swedish
Technical information
Special Features
Interactive Menus, Scene Access, Making Of Chain Reaction
Aspect Ratio
1.85 Wide Screen, 16:9 Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital
Dubbing Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Professional reviews
Review
"...A fairly tasty piece of kielbasa....[Davis is] a supremely assured craftsman..." (Entertainment Weekly, pp.41-2, 09/08/1996)
"...One of the year's most booming soundtracks..." (USA Today, p.4D, 02/08/1996)
"...Davis once again demonstrates a visual dynamism and humor....The film is directed and crafted with considerable skill..." (Variety, 29/07/1996)
DVD Description
After his alternate-fuel research lab blows up, a brilliant young scientist (Keanu Reeves) is wrongly pegged as the saboteur in this action-thriller from the director of THE FUGITIVE. Teaming up with a beautiful physicist, the scruffy techie struggles to evade federal agents and uncover the conspiracy behind the crime.
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![Chain Reaction [1996] [DVD]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78547792.jpg)
