Vantage Point Not What You Expect, Packs Surprises

Having expectations can sometimes prove to be unfortunate, especially with films. When you expect one thing and get another, it can either be pleasantly surprising and enhance a viewing experience or it can hinder than experience. While Vantage Point is a worthwhile and entertaining film, I found that I was a slight bit disappointed due to my own expectations. The film probably isn't exactly what you expect going and it certainly is not predictable. But don't let my experience fool you - its an entertaining film that puts an original story on the screen.

Featuring a star-studded cast including Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, Forest Whitaker, Sigourney Weaver and William Hurt as President Ashton, Vantage Point does stay true to its title. It presents us with a modern day scenario - an international anti-terrorism summit where the president of the United States is attacked by terrorists and we witness the alarming events that unfold through eight different perspectives of people who are at the scene.

Where my expectations went wrong is that I was expecting more of a mystery thriller where multiple perspectives would play together to solve the puzzle, perhaps almost JFK-ish. What Vantage Point turned out to be was more of an action thriller that was built less on hiding clues that could actually allow the viewer to solve the puzzle and more of an event dissection that, once at full steam, simply presented the actuality of it all. In fact, Vantage Point turned out to be much more of character-matrix film that showed how every character tied together despite their diverse positions and perspectives. While the ultimate plot turned out to be well devised and entertaining, I found myself a bit disappointed with the character-matrix vehicle because I'm beginning to see it becoming more of a Hollywood fad following in the wake of acclaimed films like 21 Grams, Crash and Babel. The style makes for an intriguing story once in a while, but I fear that if it becomes over-used it will become tired. Frankly, I'm already weary.

Beefs aside, Vantage Point wasn't a bad film. Dennis Quaid's character, rattled Secret Service Agent Thomas Barnes, was interesting and made for an enjoyable protagonist. The action also wasn't bad, featuring a wild car chase through the busy streets of a Spanish city as well as some gun-play throughout. And there are definitely surprises! If you think you know what is really up, don't kid yourself - I'm fairly confident that you will be caught by surprise if you are truly spoiler free.

I have no doubt that Vantage Point will post a successful opening weekend at the box office and if you're looking for an intriguing thriller, you'll most likely be satisfied. Just don't be shocked if it isn't exactly what you expect it to be. 7/10