Lately, I've been unable to trust professional reviewers for two reasons; either they're getting paid by a studio for the review, or they're trying to show their willingess to "play ball" to secure access to future releases. Or both.
In general, I've always paid more attention to medium or negative reviews than positive ones, not only for movies, but for other goods and services. Positive reviews at best claim that the thing being reviewed "works as intended," but often don't add anything more. Less positive reviews, on the other hand, will either cite specific issues, or will "out" the reviewer as having some personal issue that has nothing to do with the thing being reviewed. In either case, I know what I'm getting from the review.
Coming back to this movie, nothing in the trailers "sold" me on it (the "five questions" scene was fun, but predictable). To get specific, I'm not a fan of "pretty face" actors. Occasionally one will impress me with their acting or comedic ability, but too many don't. So far, Pine hasn't. Plus, the trailers were very heavy on effects, which tells me nothing about the movie except that they're going to give me an over-the-top sound and light show. On this, I think the review from RogerEbert.com make a good point, i.e. that "practical" effects can help a scene feel more real than OTT CGI.
I hope people enjoy it, but I won't be seeing it until it shows up on Netflix (the only streaming service to which I'm subbed), or until a trusted friend tells me that it's worth watching.
