This film does indeed just fall short of being something different. At least you can say that it strives to be a more important film. Instead of tackling some of the more interesting terrorist and revenge ideas that come up, the film opts for simple minded action. I suppose that the filmmakers figured that audiences were ready for more action after the tragedies of 9/11. Unfortunately, they were wrong, and in a way, Collateral Damage is the swan song of movies like its ilk. Sure, we still love action, but you have to throw in some more interesting elements to keep audiences lining up. The Matrix, for example, is at its heart an action movie, but it does at least try to throw some philosophy into the mix.

Arnold is Arnold. You either love him or you hate him and most people love Arnie, so no complaints from me. Director Andrew Davis is a talented filmmaker who usually manages to make intelligent action fare like The Fugitive and Holes. There's nothing here that shows a distinct failure in directing, but the writing sure stinks. A lame duck of a film, the definition of average.

Movie Grade: C

Video: 4 out of 5
Big and action-y. I guess it looks fine. The dark levels are nice and the jungle colors really pop. Truthfully, I was paying more attention to the action than the quality of the video. Ooops.
Widescreen Anamorphic - 1:85:1