Oh, the sacrifices I make as a DVD movie critic for you viewers out there!! As I said, I am not afraid to watch and review the bad movies if it means that you, the viewer, are forewarned before being suckered by an attractive cover.
--George
Extreme Limits
Directors: Jay Andrews
Producers: T.K. Terrier
Writers: Steve Latshaw
Features: Audio Commentary with Director Jay Andrews, Cinematographer Andrea Rossotto, and Actress Julie St. Claire, Widescreen Version; Director & Cast Biographies; Audio: English 5.1 Surround, English Dolby Surround; Subtitles: English, Spanish; Interactive Motion Menus; Photo Gallery; Trailer; Scene Selection with Motion Images
Characters:
Jason - Treat Williams
Beck - Hannes Jaenicke
Nadia - Julie St. Claire
Barbara - Susan Blakely
Hunter - John Beck
Genre: Action/Adventure
Review:
Oh, the sacrifices I make as a DVD movie critic for you viewers out there!! As I said, I am not afraid to watch and review the bad movies if it means that you, the viewer, are forewarned before being suckered by an attractive cover. "Extreme Limits" or aka "Crash Point Zero" is a prime example of bad Hollywood movies. The tagline says, "The struggle for survival starts now..." but I think it should read "The struggle to finish this movie starts now..."
The mendacity with this film is far reaching in that even the summation of the movie is deceptive. It reads: "Prepare for nerve shattering adventure as a flight carrying a highly secure shipment of the world's deadliest explosives crashes headlong into the snow covered mountains of Alaska. The battle for survival has just begun and only one U.S. Military Agent has what it takes to save the passengers and stop the deadly explosives from falling into the wrong hands." Now I know that even the guy who wrote the blurb did not watch the film, because there were no explosives.
The story starts with the discovery of Tessla's Ray, a device that manifests thoughts into energy. Unfortunately, Tessla found out that the thought energy is extremely destructive when he tested it in 1913. It was so dangerous that Tessla hid it and never spoke of it again. But with the new discovery of the device, there are now interested parties in finding this device and using it. Then you have your mix of plane crashes, a ravenous bear, a plethora of exploding transportation vehicles, and villians out to seize the Tessla Ray to use it for evil.
This movie is the worst!! It actually uses the exact footage from "Cliffhanger" and the "Long Kiss Goodnight." In fact, in one part at the end with the exact explosion used in "Long Kiss," if you go frame by frame, I swear I actually saw Geena Davis in the used footage. What a joke! The plot basically is a ripoff from "Cliffhanger," "Narrow Margin," "Long Kiss Goodnight," and "The Edge." Nothing is original, except Tessla's Ray, and as you can tell from the blurb above, it isn't even credited as such. By no means is it even considered a deadly explosive. And the idea that a little box with headphones coming out of it could harness the power of the mind to destroy things is laughable.
Why would Fox make such a horrible movie? Well, it is the whole formula theory that I have been giving before. They simply think that if one movie was a blockbuster, then that is the method needed to get a blockbuster every time (which explains the sequel craze). At least this time, Fox limited the funds for this film, which explains the "borrowed" footage from the films mentioned. This is all explained in the commentary track that I listened to. Jay Andrews (who also goes by numerous other names), the same guy who directed "Big Bad Mama II," actually admits to borrowing the footage from a friend of his who was the director of those films. He also bemoans the fact that he had to do it because he had little money, but there are plenty of movies that make great films on a tight budget, so there is no excuse for using other people's footage.
This "Frankenstein" of a movie, pieced together from the body parts of other movies should be an anathema to all movie watchers. It is a shame that a Golden Globe Winner like Susan Blakely was made to play in this horrible ripoff. The only other actor that was worth their snuff was Bongo the Bear, who played his part well. Treat Williams was too busy making jokes, while people are dying around him to play a convincing CIA agent (another mistake in the blurb, he's not a US military agent). It is a travesty that this film was allowed to be put on DVD.
I warn all viewers to stay away from "Extreme Limits" or "Crash Point Zero" or whatever they call it. I didn't think it possible to give a lower rating than what I gave "The Scout," but this film deserves a zero star rating. Fox may have done OK with the special features, picture, and sound, but the movie is a total waste of time for any DVD fan!
---George Castillo