After "Tomb Raider 2", another action film with Angelina Jolie in Superhero garb didn't whet my appetite. But, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jude Law (looking rather reminiscent of "A.I." on the poster) did make me curious. That coupled with the hint that the film leans toward a certain knowing humor, brought me to the screening with expectation.

Unfortunately, that expectation was not met with a strong film. Initially, the look, touch and feel of the production pulls the viewer into a glowy, soft-edged world -- something of a blend of 1940 film and comic book lore. A world where real is softened by cartoon. A world where the main characters are stereotypes, perhaps homage/tongue-in-cheek recreations of mid-20th century heroes. Although excellent actors bring them to life, the characters themselves are so devoid of depth, that their thespian talents are wasted. And for you Jolie lovers out there, her character's participation is minimal.

So, initially, the film glistens with promise and sort of a hypnotic glow of visuals. But as the adventure unwinds, nothing more comes to the surface. Worse, the excitement over the look and feel of the film endures only through the first act.

Probably meant as a poke-funnery of the bygone genre, the film indulges in annoyances. For example: Paltrow's Polly-the-reporter character goes back into certain death danger at every turn to retrieve some photograph-related item. It's tiresome. In fact, probably viewers will have a hard time trying to decide when the film is serious about itself and when it's not. The net result being loss of impact in either intention. Fancying itself worthy of being compared to "The Wizard of Oz" irks me all the more in retrospect.

Though initially intriguing and intermittently appealing, the film never develops, and hides its most interesting character (the villain) till the end when it's too late. Overall - bland.