IMPOSTER

IMPOSTER is a science-fiction potboiler that’s rather timely these days. It tells a story about alien invaders who have supposedly rigged a terrorist bomb to go off in a crowded city, perhaps killing high-level government officials. It also concerns itself with the issues of government surveillance, personal freedom and globalism. In these days of international coalition building and homeland security to fight terrorism, this movie could not be more topical.

Gary Sinise plays scientist Spencer Olham, who is making a huge bomb for the international government in the year 2079. The government was formed to fight aliens from Alpha Centauri who have invaded Earth’s solar system. John is happily married to his wife, Maya, a doctor, played by Madeleine Stowe.

Olham arrives at work to put the finishing touches on his super bomb. He and his wife are supposed to meet the female Chancellor of the international government later that evening. At work, however, Olham is arrested by a government agent, played by Vincent D’Onofrio, who accuses him of being an android, specifically a cyborg, with a bomb planted in him to kill the Chancellor. Olham denies this, but he escapes after asking the agent how he knows that the cyborg isn’t meant to kill the agent instead of the Chancellor.

Olham escapes outside the dome protecting the city from the alien warships. He uses the help of an anti-government activist, played by Mekhi Phifer, to go back into the city to find the proof that will show that he, Olham, is truly human.

Viewers will probably guess part of the resolution to this story. They may be disappointed by its final outcome, however, because IMPOSTER is a dark, dank and somewhat depressing movie that’s not as interested in providing enjoyment for viewers as much as it should be. Not all is lost in the movie’s final scenes, however, which contain some redemptive aspects, though not enough to fully satisfy.

Ultimately, viewers may walk away being impressed by the setting and special effects in IMPOSTER, but not with all of the action, which is often too dark and confusing to be really entertaining. If Hollywood continues to insist on setting action scenes during night, it must start doing a better job of lighting these scenes so that moviegoers can tell what exactly is going on in the story.