2009
In the opening scenes of "The Objective," which follows a unit of American soldiers in Afghanistan, I was reminded of Kathryn Bigelow's war movie "The Hurt Locker." But whereas "Locker" is one of the most magnificent films of the year, "Objective" is one of the most "meh."
Following the events of Sept. 11, 2001, special ops forces are sent on a mission in the Middle East to locate a Muslim man who may or may not be harboring weapons of mass destruction. What they find instead is ... well, I won't spoil it, but I thought I could be watching an episode of one of Showtime's "Stargate" series.
The film stars a bunch of unknowns who fail to make much of an impression, but Daniel Myrick shows he has the chops as a director. "The Objective" is much more polished and accomplished than his work on "The Blair Witch Project," even though it lacks that film's power.
Don't go looking for scares, because they aren't there. It will, however, make you think, especially after an ending that veers toward "2001"'s mind-bending starchild trip.
"?Rod Lott
