Wizard-8
If you have watched a lot of B movies as I have, you have probably watched your share of "Die Hard" rip-offs. So you might be wondering how the "Die Hard" rip-off "Blast" differentiates itself from others. Well, for one thing, it's the rare rip-off to cast a minority in the hero role. And the screenplay was written by Steven E. de Souza, the screenwriter of "Die Hard"! Maybe de Souza thought that since everyone was ripping him off, he might as well rip himself off. However, this rip-off falls far short of de Souza's previous glory. For one thing, parts of the script are really inadequately written. Both the heroic lead and the prime villain are pretty thin. The actors don't get enough to aid them, so their characters end up being very uninteresting.Actually, most of the faults found in "Blast" are not due to de Souza. The movie has one of the most grossly miscast leads I have seen in a movie for a long time. While Eddie Griffin can be funny in comedic roles, seeing him trying to act like an ex Navy SEAL is ludicrous. Another problem is with the look of the movie. While this movie had a budget much higher than many rip-offs of "Die Hard", only a few brief moments look slick and expensive; most of the movie looks like it was done with a television budget. As for action, the action goes wrong in every way you can think of, from its editing to its direction. There's absolutely no excitement to be experienced. The entire movie has a ho- hum feeling to it.If you want to see a *good* rip-off of "Die Hard", I suggest you watch the Dolph Lundgren movie "Command Performance".
rlsalgad
i just have seen this fiasco on cable, and i need to trash it, is by far one of the worst movies i have ever seen.Eddie griffin an action hero?. my god!. the "clever" lines before and after kick some terrorist ass without even being touch were a joke, but the kind of funny stuff that doesn't supposed to be laughable. and what about griffin "im a bad-ass" faces when he does a karate posses or is spotting the bad guys?... damn, i always get the feeling that some undercover brother dumb joke was soon to occur. this is one of the most awkward movies i have ever seen, is awful. i have to change the channel in a lot of scenes... and Vivica A. Fox... my god... Vinnie Jones!!... damn... terrible career move. what and horrible movie.
gridoon
Having recently seen the fourth chapter of the "Die Hard" series and being somewhat disappointed by it (because it felt more inspired by the James Bond movies rather than by its predecessors), I watched "Blast!" looking for a more genuine "Die Hard"-like experience - and indeed I got it! What's almost uncanny is how closely this 2004 straight-to-DVD movie resembles the 2007 blockbuster: a technology-heavy villainous plan, a hacker/nerd as the hero's sidekick, a female martial arts expert as the villain's right-hand woman, a kid (OK, not a 20-something daughter, but still....) that needs to be rescued, etc. However, unlike "DH 4", "Blast!" stays faithful to the formula of the first 2 "Die Hard" movies (trivia note: they were written by the same man, Steven De Souza), and keeps the action mostly confined to a single space (an oil rig). "Blast!"'s climax is also much better, with TWO simultaneous fights AND a race against time going on! Eddie Griffin is actually quite credible as an action hero, Vinnie Jones has his moments as the villain (when Griffin tells him what a disaster his actions will cause, he responds "if you look closely, you can see a tear forming under my eye" - that made me laugh out loud) and (unlike Timothy Olyphant) he can fight too, and Nadine Velazquez is awesome and sexy as his henchwoman - I hope her appearance in Jet Li's upcoming "War" helps her gain more recognition, she deserves it. Overall, I enjoyed "Blast!" more than "DH 4", more proof that bigger doesn't necessarily mean better. (**1/2)
cncsurf
As a connoisseur of bad movies this makes the list of bad of the bad. I had such HIGH hopes for this movie. I LOVE Vinnie Jones in his usual tough guy film (Lock Stock Two Smoking Barrels). He is a tough convincing actor in nearly everything he stars in. Even in X Men 3 he pulled off a brief good time as "Juggernaut". I don't see how he got stuck in this movie. And Eddie Griffin is a great comedic actor and was BRILLIANT in "Undercover Brother." Why he chose to star in this movie is a mystery as well.Both Vinnie Jones and Eddie Griffin are incredibly talented actors and always a joy to watch. But together in this movie they just don't make up for the horrible writing, tired plot, and terrible supporting actors. And as much as I like both of them, I just can't see these two starring in anything together that will be good without good writing and better direction.And come on Hollywood. The George Bush jabs are just old.