Stealth

I expect that smart planes are not too far off though I don’t believe any American military officer would be so cavalier with the destructive power Tinman has in Stealth. Then again, Hollywood is not the Pentagon and overzealous military men are stock movie characters. Someone has to create (or exacerbate) the crisis, though, and Sam Shepherd is more than grizzled enough for the role.

Josh Lucas, Jessica Biel and Jamie Foxx pay the three hottest young pilots in the Navy and after a training period with a hot new fighter jet are deployed to a carrier somewhere to the south of China. Arriving just after them is a variation on their planes with no human pilot, driven instead by a brand-new artificial intelligence.

Another thing Hollywood rarely worries over in these big budget actioners is realism so over the remainder of the movie the jets fly thousands of miles in a single mission. But really that’s besides the point, which is flashy, fast, tight flying over varied, rugged terrains and lots of big explosions. Some sexy skin from Biel and Foxx.

I actually think, as long as one ignores the ridiculous exaggerations (did I mention the deathdealing North Korean soldiers?), Stealth is a moderately enjoyable movie. The pace is decent and the visuals sharp but in the end it doesn’t have enough originality or sustained excitement.