Classic Intel: Stealth - DVD Review

'if I'm going to watch a B-movie, then give me this sort of stuff any day over the currently 'fashionable' trend of revisiting old monster movies'

At one point during Stealth, Josh Lucas, dressed in full military uniform and addressing another gentleman of military standing, boldly declares that, 'war is about tools'. At which point the child in me, thinking something along the lines of 'Ha ha! Yes! Tool! You!', burst into snickering guffaws, of the sort you would only normally hear if you crossed Mr Burn's cackle with Homer's slow drawl.

It's lucky that I was able to get this cheap shot in early on because upon getting to the end of Stealth, I can conclude that I had a rather good time indeed. Sure, Lucas isn't a particularly strong actor and the script is a polished-up version of any other science fiction film where some futuristic invention goes wrong but, and here's the crucial part: if I'm going to watch a B-movie, then give me this sort of stuff any day over the currently 'fashionable' trend of revisiting old monster movies of the Mega Piranha Vs Giant Octopus ilk, which it appears to be OK to like.

And for the naysayers who haven't yet experienced Stealth, park (some of) your preconceptions at the side of the road because director Rob Cohen has kind of seen you coming and has prepared the ground as much as possible. Firstly, whilst on initial scan, it may seem odd to find Jamie Foxx here, Cohen does something fairly brave with his character that is both well executed and oddly satisfying. The core of the plot too, whilst inherently linked to being about magnificent men in their flying machines, soon moves to something more like Behind Enemy Lines, creating a decent level of tension and adding a much needed human layer behind all the sci-fi regurgitated nonsense in the process.

There are of course elements that don't work too, most of which stem from Lucas and his unconvincing acting and several late plot developments that you felt coming from a mile away and which don't pack the necessary punch to justify their existence. Despite all this though, I had fun with Stealth to the level required to see the value present in a brainless action film. And I got to snicker at the lead actor calling himself a tool which, all in all, is a lot more than I expected.

Look further...

'Stealth misses only a theme song by Kenny Loggins to capture all things both good and bad about mid-eighties blockbusters' - Cinema Blend, 3/5