A Sound of Thunder

Oh yes "” this film definitely is definitely a chip off the ol' campy movie block. A Sound of Thunder, a sci-fi/action-adventure Jurassic Park meets Butterfly Effect flick about Time Safari "” a scientific group led expedition back to prehistoric times where for the right price, you can slay your very own dinosaur. Ben Kingsley, owner of Time Safari, along with Edward Burns (gasp!), lead scientist on the pay-to-slay dino trips are at the helm of this sure-to-be Best-Worst film of the summer.

There is one rule on Time Safari, and one basic rule only "” never stray from the path. Doing so could spell a disastrous fate for the present; can you see where this is going already. But, of course, someone steps off the path only to create a change in the past which changes the present in waves "” where humans are slowly degressing and a prehistoric hybrid of gorilla and t-rex are now running rampant around the city. Now its up to Travis Ryer and Time Safari creator Sonia Rand (Catherine McCormack) to discover what was changed in the past which is now altering their present before they become primates themselves.

The first think that really bothered me about this film was the CGI quality, or lack thereof. It had THE WORST rendition of a CGI dinosaur that I ever saw. Want to know how bad? Go back and check out Back to the Future II in the scene where the CGI Jaws attacks Marty "” it's worse than that. The fact that its so bad, mixed with the fact that the beginning story line is so darn confusing, you're not sure if its meant to represent a real dinosaur or if they're playing a virtual reality game, or something. It is because of this that A Sound of Thunder meant a sound of laughter in the theatre I was in.

One GOOD thing about the film, though, is the acting. Kingsley is both funny and unlikable as the Time Safari owner who would rather see that Time Safari continues to run and thrive rather than waiting to find out what has gone wrong. And Burns and McCormack are laughable ye endearing as they band together to fight of a pack of G-Rex's. The explanation of time rifts is also noteworthy if you need to test or brush up on your time traveling knowledge.

Like a good friend described to me about A Sound of Thunder "” it's a film that you wouldn't pay to see in the theatre, and definitely not purchase on DVD, but would absolutely love to catch on cable after a good night of drinking. So my suggestion "” wait for that or check out the short story by Ray Bradbury.

Movie Grade: B

Synopsis:

Set in a near future where time travel is possible, this is the story of

a travel agency, Time Safari Inc. (owned and managed by Kingsley’s character), that arranges hunting trips for wealthy customers back in time to hunt dinosaurs. Each trip is carefully planned, with a scout identifying dinosaurs about to die, and then sending the clients back just seconds before, so the course of time is not altered by the kill. However, in this case, a nervous hunter steps off the trail, and steps on a butterfly. The historical repercussions of the death of a single butterfly, compounded by millions of years of effects, leaves the hunters to return to a future that is not quite the one they came from… Now, Travis Ryer (Burns), the lead dinosaur hunter, must team up with Sonia Rand (McCormack), the inventor of the time machine technology to stop the “time waves” that are rippling up from this event, threatening to erase humanity from existance.