3 out of 5

Director: Louis Letterier

Fans of the original will enjoy this update, though the lack of super-campy acting (its only slightly campy this time) prevents it from having a certain zing. Action fans, however, will probably be disappointed. The film waits a little while to whip out the big baddies, and even when it does, its shot in a fairly non-showy way. Dont get me wrong – its still an actiony, CGI romp, but I was surprised at how little they did the kind of big reveals that many CGI films go for. This gave the movie a nice kind of forward momentum, and made it seem like the ongoing journey its meant to be, instead of a toe-tapping wait for impressive battles. However, the acting is boring and flat, and you wont remember any of the characters names or be able to tell them apart. I even thought that Ray Fiennes and Liam Neeson mightve been the same actor at one point. And some of the changed pieces to the originals plot dont go anywhere helpful, but oh well. Is it great? No. But is it well shot and an enjoyable update? Yes. Ill even say that its more respectful to its audience than most mindless entertainment thats peddled, and littered with enough interesting pieces that Id love to watch it again at home. If you go into this not expecting wows but just expecting a pretty version of that 80s classic, youll be pleased. But as EVERYONE confirms – dont pay for the 3D. Its pointless.