* and 1/2 stars out of ****
The Hidden is many things, but it can never be mistaken for a good film. For a thriller, there's not much in the tension factor, almost no suspense, and you have to wait for an hour to get a decent shootout. This is the sort of low-budget sci-fi disaster that makes you wonder how this was even released in theaters in the first place. The Hidden reeks of straight-to-video quality, and it's not even trashy enough to be entertaining on an it's-so-bad-it's-good level.
Crimes begin to occur all around the city of Los Angeles. Well-respected citizens are robbing banks, stealing ferraris, and killing innocent civilians mercilessly. After the death of one such man after a foiled robbery, Detective Tom Beck (Michael Nouri) believes they have their killer. But FBI agent Lloyd Gallagher (Kyle Machlachlan) knows better. These citizens aren't really killers. It's caused by an intergalactic space slug that likes heavy metal music and cars (no kidding). The ensuing showdown is rather slimy.
For the first hour, there's very little to penetrate through the dull pace. The murder investigations are simply routine, and a lot of the dialogue is excruciatingly lame. For this first hour, the only action scene is a car chase in the beginning, which is probably the best thing the film has to offer.
The second half is more riveting, but it's surprising to see how many bad choices director Jack Sholder makes. First, by making Gallagher an alien, it disappoints because it would have been interesting if the FBI did know of the existence of extraterrestrials. Another mistake is simply not explaining anything. There's no discussion on what the alien is made of, or how old it is, or how it got to Earth. Anybody looking for intelligent material should skip this and just watch another episode of The X-Files.
Granted, this isn't meant to be thought-provoking cinema but it could have been far better. There are three shootouts in the film, but each is just too short to be satisfying and there's not enough excitement to fill in for the sluggish scenes.
The acting isn't much better than anything else. Credit, however, should go to Kyle Machlachlan for trying hard, and he does come off better than everybody else. Michael Nouri is boring as the standard issue cop. My goodness, this must be one of the least interesting cops I've ever seen portrayed on film.
Though acting and a lot of little elements (including a terrible musical score) are substantial flaws, most of the fault should lie squarely on the shoulders of, well, Jack Sholder and writer Jim Kouf. Sholder's direction is uninspired and routine, and Kouf's script cares more for incoherence than anything else. This is a partnership that is best forgotten.
The Hidden is many things, but it can never be mistaken for a good film. For a thriller, there's not much in the tension factor, almost no suspense, and you have to wait for an hour to get a decent shootout. This is the sort of low-budget sci-fi disaster that makes you wonder how this was even released in theaters in the first place. The Hidden reeks of straight-to-video quality, and it's not even trashy enough to be entertaining on an it's-so-bad-it's-good level.
Crimes begin to occur all around the city of Los Angeles. Well-respected citizens are robbing banks, stealing ferraris, and killing innocent civilians mercilessly. After the death of one such man after a foiled robbery, Detective Tom Beck (Michael Nouri) believes they have their killer. But FBI agent Lloyd Gallagher (Kyle Machlachlan) knows better. These citizens aren't really killers. It's caused by an intergalactic space slug that likes heavy metal music and cars (no kidding). The ensuing showdown is rather slimy.
For the first hour, there's very little to penetrate through the dull pace. The murder investigations are simply routine, and a lot of the dialogue is excruciatingly lame. For this first hour, the only action scene is a car chase in the beginning, which is probably the best thing the film has to offer.
The second half is more riveting, but it's surprising to see how many bad choices director Jack Sholder makes. First, by making Gallagher an alien, it disappoints because it would have been interesting if the FBI did know of the existence of extraterrestrials. Another mistake is simply not explaining anything. There's no discussion on what the alien is made of, or how old it is, or how it got to Earth. Anybody looking for intelligent material should skip this and just watch another episode of The X-Files.
Granted, this isn't meant to be thought-provoking cinema but it could have been far better. There are three shootouts in the film, but each is just too short to be satisfying and there's not enough excitement to fill in for the sluggish scenes.
The acting isn't much better than anything else. Credit, however, should go to Kyle Machlachlan for trying hard, and he does come off better than everybody else. Michael Nouri is boring as the standard issue cop. My goodness, this must be one of the least interesting cops I've ever seen portrayed on film.
Though acting and a lot of little elements (including a terrible musical score) are substantial flaws, most of the fault should lie squarely on the shoulders of, well, Jack Sholder and writer Jim Kouf. Sholder's direction is uninspired and routine, and Kouf's script cares more for incoherence than anything else. This is a partnership that is best forgotten.