Sure it was mediocre. From an entertainment point of view. From a technical point og view it was pure and unadulterated crap.
The lighting, the continuity, the acting were extermell average. The editor was not of this planet. I spent most of the film watching the sky change from shot to shot. It was impressive *sarcasm*
All around it was just appalling. It is something that has to be seen to be believed. I can cope with spending a few bucks to see it because something so truly awful does not come along every day.
Oh, and i sinngered twice. The rednecks behind me catcalled whenever the token bimbos came on. (apologies to Salma. It was a waste for you.)
*small spoiler*
Okay, small snippet for those of you with sharp eyes. Am I the only one who noticed that one of th ebuildings blwon up in the little town to be decimated had the name "Kasdan" on it? That wouldn't be Lawrence Kasdan would it?
But i didn't, actually. For me, as I've said before, it was roughly equal to Men In Black. Amusing while it's on the screen, and when it's over... it's just not that special. it passes the time but it's only mediocre. It gave me and the audience around me plenty of laughs, it has some good-but-not-great action, Jim West was a surprisingly well-developed character and ranks as Smith's best role out of his three "summer blockbusters" for me, and I liked Branagh quite a bit, actually. But there's also a few painfully awkward cheese-filled moments that just don't fit, Kline seems to be walking through another movie entirely (except as Grant, where he's bloody great), Slma Hayek's character is a joke, a waste, and an annoyance rolled into one, the score is mediocre, and the first ten minutes hurt, I mean, they REALLY hurt. Not until the movie get's to Washington does it get any sense of direction. And if you're a fan of the original series... this movie will be too painful for you. It's a world apart drom Robert Conrad.
Overall, it was nothing more then ok, maybe slightly more or slightly less -- I need to see how time treats my feelings about it. And, who knows, as more and more people overbash it, I may feel a need to defend it within that'll make me like it more for no particular reason. I might even buy the DVD (if it has good extras), but it's certainly no blockbuster, it has a load of undoubtedly-Jon-Peters-created problems, and, though it'll probably reach 100 million, it doesn't deserve to get a whole lot more.
I'll leave you with this thought, however: I'd rather watch WWW again than Armageddon. Take THAT as you will.