Max Q: Emergency Landing (1998)

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

I pity the cast of this film.Apparently Jerry Too-Much-Testosterone Bruckheimer didn't get enough space action with Armageddon so he had to slap this piece of crap together in about two months and throw it into an empty timeslot on ABC for god knows what reason. This abomination is highly inaccurate, badly written, and a complete insult to anyone who knows anything about flying or the space program. NASA deciding the day before launch to send a reporter into space.......HA! Even the Russians wouldn't do that. And using a blowtorch in space? Who was their tech advisor, Baghdad Bob?But aside from the technical neurosis, the film comes across as a cheap attempt at a modern day Apollo 13 and a tax shelter (probably left-over money from Armageddon, since they didn't hire real writers for that either). All in all, don't bother with this one. If you want a good modern space movie, check out Space Cowboys. At least that one didn't have you groaning every five seconds like this one did.

Stay away from this movie! It is terrible in every way. Bad acting, a thin recycled plot and the worst ending in film history. Seldom do I watch a movie that makes my adrenaline pump from irritation, in fact the only other movie that immediately springs to mind is another "people in an aircraft in trouble" movie (Airspeed). Please, please don't watch this one as it is utterly and totally pathetic from beginning to end. Helge Iversen

All in all, it's a shame this was a TV-only movie, since it compares very favourably to most other modern space-action movies. All the technical and political details about NASA and the shuttle seemed accurate as far as I could tell, and if the situation was a little contrived, this is hardly unique to this movie. All in all, a most enjoyable movie.

Jerry Bruckheimer is the king of modern day, testosterone filled action entertainment. So what if his movies aren't going to win any awards for their thought provoking storylines. More than any other producer in Hollywood, Bruckheimer understands this...movies are meant for ENTERTAINMENT!! When so many are obsessed with heavy dialogue, shake your soul, change your life movies, Bruckheimer seeks only to entertain and thrill you. This is something he and his late partner Don Simpson have been doing for years. I thought Armageddon was the best movie I saw all year. Why? Because it was FUN!! It made the most of the experience of seeing a movie in the theater. Now since I mention the theater, could Bruckheimer pull of the same magic on TV? You bet. Max Q is an action packed thrill ride. It has good performances, especially by Bill Campbell, a fast paced story, stirring music, and special effects that surpass anything TV has given us in years. Sorry all you Star Trek and Babylon 5 fans. Those fx ALWAYS look computer generated. Not convincing at all. Max Q is far from original. It's Apollo 13 meets Spacecamp. So what? If people wanted only original material on TV, reruns would not exist. But Max Q takes those old cliches, shakes them, and gives them new life. I thought this was a great movie. It was even better than some movies I've seen in theaters recently. (Waterboy is the worst movie in years.) So I say welcome to TV Mr. Bruckheimer! I look foward to not only your future theatrical projects, but your films for TV. You never fail to entertain. It's just too bad more TV movies can't be as exciting as Max Q. **** out of ****