The CGI in this movie is not as good as it was in the JURASSIC PARK movies or STARSHIP TROOPERS, but it gets the job done. (Originally, some of the monster work was done with live-action props created by Rob Bottin's team, but it's all computer-generated in the final movie, with Bottin now getting a "design" credit.) Not on a level with the likes of ALIENS, but a lot of dumb fun nonetheless--and as recent water-based action movies go, it's a heck of a lot better than HARD RAIN.
On a completely different subject, I got a chance to check out trailers for two of this year's big animated films, MULAN and QUEST FOR CAMELOT. MULAN looks like another departure from the Disney formula, a more sober and serious film that (judging from what I saw) avoids even the comic relief of HUNCHBACK. The overall approach is most reminiscent of POCAHONTAS, i.e. telling a story that could have been done in live-action, without a lot of fanciful elements. However, the animation looks beautiful, with some great computer-assisted work on shots of armies on horseback. This one seems to be targeting a slightly older audience than past Disney animated films, but again, this was a very advance trailer; I'll be curious to see more from the movie (and, of course, the finished product this summer).
As for QUEST FOR CAMELOT--well, this one seems aimed squarely at the kiddie audience, and I wasn't too impressed by what I saw. The animation is fluid but not especially inspired, and the whole thing seems like kind of a second-rate attempt to ape the Disney style without adding anything fresh. I hope to be proved wrong, but this one looks like it'll wind up an also-ran in the Great Animation War of 1998.
That's all for now...
Dick Jones
