Customer Reviews

Impostor (Director's Cut)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

this is a terrific,well acted movie.it has plenty of action,a very good
storyline and is also realistic.it asks many questions and leaves the
viewer to answer most of them.i was drawn into this movie right from
the beginning until the very end.there are some great,and unexpected
(for me,anyway)plot twists.the ending i thought was brilliant.i also
liked the fact that you never really know who the enemy is,until the
very end.even then,i wasn't sure.if you are looking to be
entertained,you should give this movie a try.if you like compelling and
thought provoking action and drama,you should also give this movie a
try.this movie has some intelligence behind it,which many movies today
are sorely lacking.this is one of the best movies of the Sci-Fi genre i
have seen to date. i wouldn't call it a masterpiece,but it is a very
solid,well done film.My vote for Imposter is 4.5/5

I read many of the negative reviews, but ended up giving this a chance based on the cast. The central theme of this sci-fi suspense thriller focusses on the question, "How do you know if you are really you?" Imposter has enough visual effects to make you believe its the year 2075 (in Johnny Mnemonicesque fashion), yet focusses on the characters. The cast was great, with every actor/actress living up to their reputation. Sinise and D'Onofrio are especially terrific.

After an initial intense beginning, Imposter eases into a nice fugitive-like flow. This movie has most of the things we like in our Sci-Fi: aliens, fight scences (guns and a little kung fu), futuristic chase scenes, neat mind-twisting philosophical mumbo jumbo, a terrific ending and a little CGI thrown in for good measure.

If I had one complaint its would be the lack of gratuitous T&A. If this really was a "B" movie as many of the reviewers suggest, the T&A would be there (as I had hoped when I purchased this). As for me, I liked it better than the other Philip K. Dick-based movies, Minority Report and Total Recall (and I love Arnold). Imposter does not come across as a "B" movie. While I would not put this in the same class as say Blade Runner, few movies are.

Bottom line - Buy it, you'll like it.

Considering how quietly this movie snuck in under the radar (for me anyway), it was hard to have the bar raised too far. That said, since my expectations were put on hold, I really enjoyed this movie.

Did it do anything new or inventive? Well ... no ... admittedly, as much as I did enjoy the movie, I'm not deluded into thinking that 'Imposter' is some kind of new land-mark of science-fiction. As mentioned in many reviews before, elements from 'Total Recall,' 'Blade Runner,' 'Minority Report' and the fugitive are borrowed from heavily and there's also a heavy dose of the trade-mark 'perceived reality vs. actual reality' that seems to be the theme of many of Dick's works.

That said though, I don't think anyone dropped the ball either. I thought that the cast had a lot of talent, the performances were all solid, and the script was paced well. The directing was a little muddy. I know the point of having the camera the camera movements being as fluid as they were was to give the audience the same disorienting feeling that the main character was feeling. I think they could have achieved the same feeling without going so far over-board.

When all was said and done, I'm not sure I'd buy the movie; but if you could pick up a used copy, rent it or catch it on cable, you could definitely do it without feeling suckered.

I'm no Trekkie, but I know great SCI-FI movies when I see 'em. This movie was great, from beginning to end, it had me on the edge of my seat, seriously. I'm not going to get in to the story because I want you to see it with a clear mind(so don't read any more of the reviews because they may ruin it for you). All I can say is it is NEVER LEAVING MY DVD COLLECTION(NEVER-EVER!). A must for ANY DVD collector. I read some of the reviews and thought this movie was going to be lame. Sadly, those reviews may make real action/sci-fi movie lovers miss a FANTASTIC movie. Don't deprive yourself of this AWESOME flick. You may not be as crazy about it as I am, but you'll be a better person for it ... seriously, rent it, watch it on cable, whatever you have to do, see it, YOU'LL LOVE IT...

Impressed to say the least. The good: it's a great story that kept my attention to the end, the acting was above par (even for secondary roles), and good Sci-fi is so rare. The downside: use of helmets taken directly from "Starship Troopers" wardrobe, and somewhat repetitive CGI shots. Overall the CGI was impressive though and seemed to help carry and enhance the story instead of being the feature. The main thing is not to miss this movie if you enjoy good sci-fi. I had never even heard of it while it was in the theatre.

The first thing that struck me about this film is that it should've done better than it did. Based on Philip K Dick's short story, "Impostor" delivers the goods, surpassing this summer's other PKD celluloid offering, "Minority Report", in every aspect. Gary Sinise, Vincent D'Onofrio, Mekhi Pfifer, & Madeleine Stowe all turn in top-notch performances, & Gary Fleder's direction is absolutely sublime.

One of the intriguing things about the Director's Cut DVD is that it features the original 38-minute short film (essentially the first 25 & last 13 minutes of the theatrical version), which was originally to be the linchpin in a trilogy of sci-fi short movies (and was, I believe, released as such in Japan). The higher-ups at Dimension were so pleased with the results that they gave the go-ahead to make it a full blown feature (kind of a shame for the other two movies), & rightly so. The film doesn't concentrate so much on the futuristic aspects as the characters, which is what PKD's writing was all about.

No doubt, "Impostor" will get lost in the shuffle of all the hoopla surrounding the somewhat inferior "Minority Report", which is a shame. This film deserves to be given a fair shake.

My boyfriend rented this movie, and because I love scifi and Vincent D'Onofrio, I decided to check it out. The direction and artistry of the film are excellent. At first I was a little skeptical of the premise: aliens have the technology to come to Earth to take over but aren't technologically sophisticated enough to just wipe out us earthlings without much of a fight; but I was able to suspend my disbelief and get into the story and the questions it poses. Comparissons have been drawn between this film and Blade Runner, the Fugitive, and even Twelve Monkeys, but the film that comes to my mind is A.I. because it poses many of the same metaphysical questions, such as what is the nature of existence, what is the soul, and even what is life. I thought the acting was excellent and I liked the way the lines between the good guys and the bad guys were very hazy indeed. As I said we rented the movie but I am purchasing it now. It is a movie that should be watched more than once.

It's a pretty common theme in Dick's work; it's an inversion of Hitchcock's "wrong man" theme. Imposter works best when Sinise, D'Onfrio and Stowe are on screen. Sinise gives one of his most sincere, powerful performances since Of Mice and Men (nearly a decade ago) and Truman. D'Onfrtio acts as the perfect foil to Sinise's brilliant scientist. The plot essentially boils down to this: Sinise plays a weapons designer who has come up with a device that could obliterate the alien enemy (much like the atomic bomb with the Japanese during WWII). He's the ultimate insider with his doubts about the ethical and moral decision to develop and use the device.

D'Onfrio plays a the future equivelent of an FBI agent. He believes that Sinise's character has been murdered and replaced by a Cyborg with a mission to kill the leader of Earth. If the Fugitive like plot plays out like something you've seen before, keep in mind that there are enough plot twists and turns ahead to keep it interesting. Remember, there are, after all, only 36 dramatic situations and variations on these themes. Imposter just happens to use one that's very familiar and invert many of the expectations.

If the film plays a little too long given its plot, keep in mind that this was originally developed as 1/3 of a triology of short films (the original short is included with the feature version). That and the fact that the script passed through at least 6 different writers' hands (four of whom are credited) might explain some of the minor plot holes. On the whole when Imposter works it works very well. Director Gary Fedler (Kiss The Girls) keeps the pace brisk and scenes short and to the point. Most of the optical effects are outstanding (although it's clear during the narrative set up at the beginning that the budget was quite thin at that point. The opticals don't quite measure up to some of the later visual effects.

Imposter is a faithful adaption of Dick's short story (right down to the ending played with a slight variation that Dick would have loved). Although not as visually stunning or groundbreaking as Blade Runner, the narrative flow of Imposter is stronger than that classic film (although there are a few plot contrivances that are distracting). None of the adaptions of Dick's stories have been flawless (much like Dick's work itself). Dick's themes are intact: What makes us who we are; how do we define our reality and what qualities separate us from our machines?

I belive over time that Imposter will turn out much like Blade Runner: that classic film was blasted by critics and disliked by much of the audience. Its reputation has grown with time and the advantage that video provides with reviewing a film. Imposter may lack much of the groundbreaking visual style of Blade Runner but it more than makes up for it with a strong narrative flow. Sure, the film is flawed but then so it Steve Spielberg's very good (if overpraised) adaption of Dick's Minority Report.

What's most important about Imposter is the fact that it's a serious look at Dick's existential themes in a formula film. The twists and turns of Dick's original plot have been kept (or embellished) making the film entertaining. Between the outstanding cast, taunt direction, a well written (if padded) script and very good visual effects, Imposter manages to make a powerful statement about the nature of who we are in an entertaining sf format. 3 1/2 stars.

As revealed in the featurette of this DVD, "Impostor" was meant to be one story of a three-story anthology flick, but the studio was so impressed that they opted to expand the film into feature length. In fact, along with a trailer, the short film is included as an extra, and your time might be better spent just watching that rather than the entire film.

There are some good sci-fi ideas here, but the padding sticks out (even before you watch the short). Mix "Blade Runner" with "The Fugitive" and here's your film (minus a zero sign in the budget).

Gary Sinise does his usual solid job as a top-level weapons designer who may or may not be a walking-bomb cyborg, but Madeline Stowe is underused, and her role is a bit too similiar to the one she portrayed in "Twelve Monkeys." Vincent D'Onofrio rages as Sinise's hunter.

One note: If you get deja vu while watching the opening prologue, don't be surprised. As evidenced by the closing credits, the filmmakers lifted bits from "Starship Troopers," "Gattaca," and even "Hope And Glory" (gee, taking a bomb hit from a World War II flick) to set up their story.

A very close adaptation to Philip K. Dick's 1953 short story, the original short film was later expanded (more like bloated) to a theatrical length, and it shows. Although the short film is missing the CGI effects of Industrial Light & Magic that is displayed in the theatrical version, the presence of a fine cast and tight, flowing script make this short film the reason to buy this DVD. A must for any PKD fan.