Max Q: Emergency Landing (1998)

I'm sorry, but this really does feel like a modern day Apollo 13 knock-off. Totally implausible (at least Armageddon FELT like a comic book! This felt like a bad High School film project), acting was about as cliché as one can get, and....landing a space shuttle on an LA freeway? Come on. Seriously. Jerry, what were you thinking? And all the clichés: The pregnant astronaut's wife, the nosy reporter who gets in everyone's way, the stalwart manager with "Go Fever". And it's one thing to twist the laws of physics or politics or whatever to make an entertaining story, but at least make it GOOD! Fact and science were totally butchered for this. The space shuttle doesn't have fuel tanks in it's wings, and even if it did, it couldn't steer by shifting fuel between them (and neither could a DC-10).If you like bad acting, bad storytelling, low realism, and cheesy clichés, this one can't be beat!

In a running time less than 1 1/2 h this TV-movie (!) packs the whole Apollo 13 concept and generates more suspense than Armageddon. It focuses on good, old MacGyver-style problem-solving and when it comes to an end it serves us a wildly over-the-top but fun emergency landing.Only problem.... it has nothing to to with reality...but I don`t care. This one really surprised me. Best Bruckheimer for me. His big screen movies are mostly big misunderstandings of what entertainment should be.

Jerry Bruckheimer is the king of modern day, testosterone filled action entertainment. So what if his movies aren't going to win any awards for their thought provoking storylines. More than any other producer in Hollywood, Bruckheimer understands this...movies are meant for ENTERTAINMENT!! When so many are obsessed with heavy dialogue, shake your soul, change your life movies, Bruckheimer seeks only to entertain and thrill you. This is something he and his late partner Don Simpson have been doing for years. I thought Armageddon was the best movie I saw all year. Why? Because it was FUN!! It made the most of the experience of seeing a movie in the theater. Now since I mention the theater, could Bruckheimer pull of the same magic on TV? You bet. Max Q is an action packed thrill ride. It has good performances, especially by Bill Campbell, a fast paced story, stirring music, and special effects that surpass anything TV has given us in years. Sorry all you Star Trek and Babylon 5 fans. Those fx ALWAYS look computer generated. Not convincing at all. Max Q is far from original. It's Apollo 13 meets Spacecamp. So what? If people wanted only original material on TV, reruns would not exist. But Max Q takes those old cliches, shakes them, and gives them new life. I thought this was a great movie. It was even better than some movies I've seen in theaters recently. (Waterboy is the worst movie in years.) So I say welcome to TV Mr. Bruckheimer! I look foward to not only your future theatrical projects, but your films for TV. You never fail to entertain. It's just too bad more TV movies can't be as exciting as Max Q. **** out of ****

This movie, essentially a modern-day _Apollo 13_, was entertaining in the tradition of Jerry Bruckheimer films. Overall, I enjoyed it, though performances from Campbell and Brewster were fairly flat. In my opinion, Geoffrey Blake was the standout, playing a civilian filmmaker sent to document the launch of the corporate satellite. He created a character that was easy to identify with and entertaining to watch. Overall, this is light, low-budget entertainment; people in search of a rip-roaring blockbuster would do better to rent _Armageddon_ again. But as made-for-TV movies go, this one is a standout.