Extreme Ops (2002)

Very disappointed :(

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Started watching today,expecting nothing as it was given one star rating.What I saw was something that impressed me almost as much as Attack Of The Lederhosen Zombies,and that is a favorite at our house.It has Rupert Graves AND Rufus Sewell,so that attracted me at once because I love them both.Devon Sawa,Joe Absalom,Al Large from Doc Martin,who was great here,IMHO,among others.So,it's a bit farfetched with a terrorist group,but the stunts weren't distracting,found myself easily rooting for our heroes,especially ROOF (Sewell),and Joe Absalom,LOL Rupert Graves trying to check the gang into the hotel down the mountain.Give it a look,if open minded,you may also be surprised.

(Note: Given the subject matter of the film, this review will contain copious uses of the word "extreme." It really can't be helped.)This is a film I have been seeking out for some time.I saw previews of it back in 2002 on several VHS tapes and DVD's I owned. And whenever the trailer would pop-up, a big, goofy smile would creep across my face and I'd let out an laugh. Because it looked bad. Really bad. Yet it also looked like it might have a hint of brilliance. Not in an intended way, mind you... but rather unintentional brilliance. It looked like it had the potential to be one of those "so bad, it's good" classics. One of those movies that's just so poorly put together, you can't help but enjoy it.Yet the film was also enigmatic when it came to trying to find it. For several years, I'd make an effort to seek it out. Whenever I was at our local Circuit City, Hollywood Video, Target... I'd inevitably take a quick peak to see if they had it. And I could never find it. And not only that- nobody I talked to had heard about it. Nor could they understand how amusingly bad it looked when I would try to describe it.So you can imagine my surprise when now, years after I eventually forgot about the film, I happened upon a random copy by chance at the home of someone I know.Remembering how interested I was in checking it out, I borrowed the copy and finally gave it a watch.... ... ...it wasn't worth the wait.Not only is it not a good film on its own, "Extreme Ops" isn't even good in an unintentional "so bad, it's good" kind-of way as I'd hoped. It's just a poorly put-together mish-mash of actors giving bad performances, portraying bland characters with occasional spurts of some of the most boring action I've ever seen.We follow a group of extreme sports fanatics and their director as they take a trip to the Alps to shoot "extreme" stunts and have "chill sessions" in between. However, they are unaware that a Serbian warlord is coincidentally in the same area, and he decides the kill off the extreme sports fanatics in an attempt to make sure nobody witnessed he or his plans. And so our heroes must attempt stay alive and thwart his schemes the only way they know how- displays of their extreme sporting talents.The performances are of literally no consequence. Save from a decent- enough performance by the underrated and criminally under-recognized Rufus Sewell, and the absolutely adorable Jana Pallaske making for a fun, spunky rocker/punk chick that I found endlessly likable. Everyone else completely blends into the background, being stock- beyond- belief.Directorial duties are handled by Christian Duguay, probably best known as the director of the first two "Scanners" sequels. And I can't help but feel Duguay was lost in making this film. (I'm guessing because of a lack of experience with "extreme" action) Performances and handling of the material often feels forced, coming off more as an out-of-touch director's attempts to be "extreme" than actually being extreme. It feels like a film made by someone who doesn't understand the material.I also have to comment that I found the camera-work to be quite poor in terms of composition and movement. Perhaps it was an issue with the copy I viewed, but I felt the framing of many shots (particularly during the climax) was very "low." (As in things would often go off the top of the frame a little bit.) And it was distracting. It felt like the actors were always about to bump their head on the top of the frame to me, and I found myself instinctively ducking my head slightly while looking up during my viewing as though I was trying to look up and see more of the picture.A major part of the failing of this film is that it doesn't do anything truly interesting with the characters or storyline. Nor does it do anything truly interesting with the stunt-work. I understand the idea of a film based around extreme-sports fanatics from a studio standpoint- extreme sports were popular at the time and had the potential to support a lot of good action- but this film doesn't do anything with the idea. The plot is among the thinnest you'll find, the characters very stock, and the displays of action are often boring and honestly are about as thrilling as anything you'd see on a cable- sports channel for free. It doesn't work for a feature-film, and there's no real draw for the audience to invest their time or money in seeing this film. Heck, the same year this was released, the original Vin Diesel vehicle "xXx" came out, and while not a great film, it more properly and interestingly utilized the concept of focusing the film around extreme sports. (In that film's case, by being a tribute and subversion of spy genre movies like the Bond series.) It just shows how lazy and haphazard this film was, when around the same time, other films more fully explored a similar concept.That being said, this isn't a total loss. As stated above, Sewell and Pallaske do well in their roles. And I did find a few scenes effective. Particularly a well-done effects sequence where characters have to out-race an avalanche. While it wasn't particularly showy, the scene did give an accurate depiction of what an avalanche looks like, especially for its relatively meager budget. (Although some laughable green-screen shots nearly ruin it.)I'm going to have to give "Extreme Ops" a poor 3 out of 10. It has its moments, but it feels too much like a lazy cash-in on trends of the time, particularly "extreme" sports, and is quite shoddily assembled. Definitely one to avoid.

Hollywood has always been quick to react to new trends if it believes it can make money from them, and at the beginning of the current decade the movie studios responded to the increasing high profile of so-called 'extreme sports' by using them as the basis of a short-lived wave of action movies. Of course, the film executives failed to take into account that those interested in extreme sports are far more likely to be taking part in them, attending such events, or watching TV/internet coverage of them, instead of going to see movies in which actors pretend to take part in them. So while xXx (starring Vin Diesel) was successful enough to secure a sequel, Extreme Ops failed to make an impression at the box office, and the notion of extreme sport action movies died out as quickly as it had begun.Extreme Ops (which was filmed under the title The Extremists, but swiftly retitled before release due to the events of 9/11) is an international co-production with an appropriately international cast of American, British and central European actors. The storyline has a film crew, together with a pair of snowboarders and a female gold medal-winning downhill skier, travelling to an unnamed European ski resort off-season, to shoot footage for an advertising campaign. Unfortunately, a wanted Serbian war criminal is using the isolated resort as a temporary hideout, and the film crew eventually find themselves fleeing down the mountainside with the Serbian and his men in determined pursuit.However, that particular plot development doesn't occur until two-thirds of the way through the movie, so for the first hour we merely see the film crew, snowboarders and the skier hanging about in the empty resort, occasionally filming on the slopes, and bonding over bottles of beer while relaxing in a hot tub.It sounds deadly dull, and considering that the characterisations in the script are tissue-thin, it should be. But due to the efforts of the talented cast, these irresponsible risk-takers (the snowboarders and most of the film crew are die-hard adrenalin junkies) come across as surprisingly likable. As a result, despite being routine in practically every aspect, Extreme Ops is a remarkably engaging movie.

What didn't work and things i learned: 1. If you are a director or group leader, don't worry about your group's health or the safety of your job because constant drinking, unprofessional ism, snowboarding on the back of trains are what make a director Extreme.2. If you are a gold medalist,that is not "respectable" or Extreme. Thus you should hang out with a bunch of amateurs to become Extreme. Also, drinking and falling under peer pressure is OK if you want to be Extreme. 3. I don't know about you, but if your going to set up a love story, at least let it come to it's conclusion. No date or kiss scene? Weak.4. Silo's entrance and character was just ridiculous and laughable. The whole skateboarding scene on the train is the first example of how Extreme ops tries to be too "Extreme". Good job dude, that's one Extreme dumb ass right there. 5. Every Extreme person has rock entrance music to show he is more Extreme than others.6. A good camera man SHOULD ALWAYS hang upside down beneath a moving train for the best camera shot. 7. A snowboarder SHOULD ALWAYS grind their board on their train tracks while chanting like an Indian if they want to be Extreme. 8. Snowboarding off the top of a roof and doing back flips onto the bar was just complete BS. Why would you fill up alcohol in glasses when you know there just going to knock them down? It's either: A. There's a dumb ass bartender B. There dumb ass customers who spent money to fill the glasses up to look "Extreme". Take your pick.9. Snowball fight inside the resort was really misplaced, especially after meeting a creepy guy10. The dog escape scene was really misplaced. It felt like a fight scene but then it didn't. Especially with the garbage can lid slide scene down the mountain. Also, that's the best time to videotape. Dumb ass.11. The night time snowboard/ski scene was misplaced. What did it accomplish? Nothing at the end since it's accomplished in the hot tube scene.12. Director trademark: Why not throw some sexy panty action at the cliff "over the edge" scene where Kittie is about to fall to her death?13. Always say bastard and smile when your being shot at.14. You SHOULD NOT fill a helicopter up before taking off. 15. Shotguns are the best long range weapons for killing. 16. Uzi and AK-47 ammunition is rare. So use a shotgun as directed.17. Generals do not have good shooting skills. 18. Throwing rope down onto helicopter blades is not Extreme. Instead you must jump across the blades and throw the rope down. 19. Always throw hot coal into a hot tube with people in it. 20. Terrorist generals only have 4 men under the control at best. 21. Being shot in the arm by a shotgun will have no effect, if you are Extreme.22. Being dropped on by a girl who weighs 105 pounds when you yourself are 6 ft about 250 will instantly knock you out. (Note: If you are the girl dropping on the guy, you will not be hurt if you say words like "totally" "radical" "narly" after wards) 23. What information did the helicopter pilot trade? What else was there to learn? 24. If 2 people need to ride on 1 snowboard, you will still move at the same speed, and your maneuverability and control will be crisp clean accurate.25. When your a inexperienced amateur, listen to your buddy who tells you to cut the rope if your about to fall. 26. Cameras are now made with bullet proof covers. 27. Being shot at in the chest will also have no effect if you are Extreme. 28. Trying to plow your snowboard into a helicopter to hit someone is your best weapon.29. As an adult it's a good idea to let one of the kids sacrifice themselves for the benefit of the team. 30. As an adult, leave a kid to watch someone wounded while you get help with 2 other adults. 31. When you return to the states, DON'T notify the press of the ordeal you went through. Instead go get your money 32. Cell phones will have good reception in mountains when enemies are nearby but will have poor reception when there is no threat. 33. Make sure to videotape when you just got out of a life or death situation and are followed by a avalanche.Overall not a great movie but at least the casting (exception of a few) was alright.