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is this design ugly?

THE PERFECT STORM - dir. wolfgang petersen
if all you're expecting is good special effects, then you shouldn't walk away from this film disappointed. if, for whatever reason, you were expecting a complete movie, then you will be disappointed, but you deserve it (anytime an obscure reviewer calls your film "one of the greatest movies ever!" you know you're in trouble).

as there were no survivors, a back story had to be created by petersen and his screenwriter. is it shakespeare? no. were you expecting shakespeare from a bunch of guys who fish for a living? hopefully not. is it plausible? yes. the guys need the money because it's late in the season and they've been doing record-lows, and plus george clooney's captain's pride demands it. admittedly, all of the omens are a bit cliched ("i have a bad feeling about this," dreams of terrible storms, etc.), but the film finds its sea legs when it heads out onto the ocean, where thankfully most of the film takes place.

the effects are truly awesome. i became totally engrossed and never thought for a second, "oh, that looks so fake." when i found out that the majority of the action was computer-generated, i was astounded. petersen knows a thing or too about sea epics (see das boot) and his eye is unfailing in the perfect storm creating a visual masterpiece. the cutting between the separate stories of a troubled yacht, a navy cutter, and the main story is a bit distracting, but all of the scenes are gripping, nonetheless.

yes, there's a secret end to the movie, one that i've already revealed. i found myself not as emotionally connected to the film as i had hoped or thought i'd be (indeed, i only got a tad misty when i remembered that these were real people who actually died) which surely can be leveled at the lack of real development of the characters. clooney is out of his element as a straight-up action hero (his perfect role was as archie gates in three kings where he was allowed to exercise wit and authority) and mark wahlberg is a rather nondescript second banana -- the only fine piece of acting in the film is by diane lane as wahlberg's lady love. the maudlin score might also be to blame for the lack of emotion: it's way overcooked and it's overused so much that it's comical (while on land, maybe two or three scenes don't feature the score). HOWEVER, if you're looking for a little escapism and some, yes, great effects, the perfect storm shouldn't fail to entertain: after all, isn't that all one looks for in a summer blockbuster?