CHILL FACTOR

Moral Rating:	Very Offensive
Moviemaking Quality:	½
Primary Audience:	Adults
Genre:	Action/Adventure
Length:	1 hr. 41 min.
MPAA Rating:

It seems that the summer of '99 has been cheated out of its usual hungry-man serving of big-budget action movies. The menu has included Wild Wild West, Star Wars: Episode I and now Chill Factor.

Johnny Depp-clone Skeet Ulrich and Oscar winner Cuba Gooding, Jr. have to deliver a sensitive chemical weapon to the military before it falls into the hands of terrorists. The weapon must be kept cool because it will detonate if it reaches 50 degrees.

There are some truly unique things about this film. Firstly, even though it is a summer action flick, Chill Factor doesn't have the usual $75-$100 million dollar budget. Secondly, Cuba Gooding Jr. co-stars in an atypical role. Lastly, Chill Factor is the only film that has been declared by the "Washington Post" to be a "direct rip-off of Speed". Sound suspenseful? Maybe, but Cuba and Skeet's Chill Factor partnership effort turns out to be more funny than frightful. The dialogue is jam-packed-full of one-liners, smart-guy comments, bad-guy cliches, not to mention sailor-like swearing. And it appears that Cuba, in his first action-hero role, is focused much more on being funny than heroic. When all is said and done, his performance seems caffeinated and over-acted.

But seriously, we all need to laugh a little, and Chill Factor's comedy is definitely its coolest attribute. Guidelines: other than swearing, Chill Factor contains graphic violence which could frighten young children.

Year of Release — 1999

[ If our reviews have been helpful to you, please prayerfully consider a donation to help pay the expenses for making this service available to you and your family! Donations are tax-deductible. ]