Moral Assessment + Abhorrent + + Disturbing + + + Acceptable + + + + Wholesome + + + + + Exemplary Technical Assessment • Poor • • Below average • • • Average • • • • Above average • • • • • Excellent CINEMA Rating Guide VA For viewers of all ages V13 For viewers age 13 and below with parental guidance V14 For viewers 14 and above V18 For mature viewers 18 and above NP Not for public viewing

Title: A SOUND OF THUNDER Running Time:  100 min. Lead Cast: Edward Burns, Ben Kingsley, Catherine McCormac, Jemima Rooper, David Oyelowo Director:  Peter Hyams Producers: Moshe Diamant, Howard Baldwin Screenwriter:  Greg Povier Music: Nick Glennie-Smith Editor:  Sylvie Landra Genre: Sci-fi/Action/Adventure Cinematography:  Peter Hyams Distributor: Warner Brothers Location:  Chicago, USA Technical Assessment:  • • • Moral Assessment:  + + ½ CINEMA Rating:   For viewers 14 and above   Persuasive business tycoon Charles Hatton (Ben Kingsley) of Time Safari Inc. sells the attractive idea of traveling back in time to hunt for dinosaurs. Heading these expeditions are two scientists:  Travis Ryer (Ed Burns), who is interested in studying the prehistoric animals and Sonia Rand (Catherine McCormack), creator of the time machine enabling the trips into the past and back.  To make sure that the existing state of nature would not be disturbed in any way – videos only could be brought back from these adventures—strict safeguards have been put in place. Yet, something unexpected happens during an excursion. Gradually but surely an avalanche of chaos rushes through the ages to the present time of 2055.  Scientists Ryer and Rand desperately try to find the error committed and the solution, if any, to return nature to its previous undisturbed state. The first impact of The Sound of Thunder is its spectacular photography.  There are the serenity, orderliness and pleasant vistas of nature and man-made structures, followed by the dramatic shots of everything gone chaotic. The plot is sketchy as most of the efforts are concentrated on the visuals and sound.  There are some scenes that appear and move like segments of computer games. A few sequences are in more shadow than necessary. The recognized Ben Kingsley plays his character well as expected.  Catherine McCormack's effort to portray a smart scientist is notable. There are some suspenseful moments, but as a whole, the movie is not sufficiently engaging.  It is a science-fiction adventure /horror story meant to entertain. The safeguards put in place are: Customers must not change anything in the past; must not leave anything behind and must not bring anything back. But inevitably, someone makes a mistake, and the whole evolution cycle begins an upsetting spin, where human beings become the victims of nature gone wild and violent. Precisely fearing such an occurrence, Scientist Rand had been calling for the shutdown of Time Safari Inc., but nobody listened.  The ages and experience have shown that nature, the created material world, is meant to be used properly, taken care of and handed down to the next generation for their benefit and care, and then passed on to their descendants, who will do the same.  Greed, at the prospect of riches from Time Safari travelers, disregards caution, bringing about unimaginable consequences for mankind.  Catherine Rand is proven right that mistakes or lapses are bound to happen.  Once nature is returned to its original evolutionary state, as The Sound of Thunder shows, Time Safari Inc. is back in business. Should there be more stringent precautions put in place?  Or should the whole enterprise shut down? There are repeated images of violence, some very strong projections of scary creatures, a suicide, some suggested nudity, sexuality, and use of improper language. (Date Reviewed: 16 September 2005)