Chameleon (1998)

Pretty Good

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Since this is a made for TV movie, I'll be mild in my judgement. It's not really bad or something. The acting is okay. The few digital effects are okay. But over-all the story is pretty thin. There's not much action or fighting and the pacing is rather slow too. But if you like watching made for TV sci-fi/crime stuff, then I guess you could do a lot worse than watching this first CHAMELEON installment.The main thing (for me) to like about this movie was actress Bobbie Phillips, of who you feel she has some pretty decent acting skills, but she isn't really allowed to show them in this movie. She has a bit of that Ashley Judd-beauty and a bit of that Kari Wuhrer-toughness going on there. Anyway, she plays Kam and actually she isn't a cyborg. She's a 'sub'. A genetically altered human clone with improved senses and the ability to take the color of her surroundings, rendering her almost invisible. She drives a groovy motorcycle and wears a slick chameleon-like outfit. But the best scenes are the ones where she takes off that outfit. On no less than three occasions you can see Bobbie Phillips do some naked hot stuff with random males. Now that might sound appealing, but don't expect too much, 'cause it's all kept rather decent and respectable, in order not to upset any younger viewers. So no frontal nudity, folks.And what about the story? Well nothing special there either. Kam is a member of the IBI (a government-controlled police force or something). Some rebels, the Liberators, have produced a chip that could destroy all economy. Kam must get it, but falls for the charms of a boy who has the chip. She takes him under his protection and they decide to flee the city. Needless to say that the corrupt creator of Kam (also a member of IBI) isn't happy with this and wants to retrieve the chip at any cost.So this could have been a fun movie with a lot of action, chases and shoot-outs. But after a promising start, the movie slows down in the middle part (when Kam and the boy arrive at the country-side). Then the script sets up for a final confrontation in the big city, but this is also a bit of a let-down (in terms of a spectacular ending). It's a pity, 'cause there was some potential to insert some more action and thrills, but it's clearly that the (rather small) budget didn't allow that. But like I said: you could do a lot worse with made for TV garbage and I hope the other two sequels are a bit better. I've already read the synopsis for the third installment, and that one seems to go over-the-top nicely. Oh, well, as long as Bobbie Phillips is in it, I'll be giving them a watch.

This is one of those movies that you would slate if you paid money to see it on the big screen...but as a made-for-TV film, it ain't half bad. Bobbie Phillips is gorgeous and has a real presence. She deserves to go on to bigger and better things. The film itself is nothing original and attempts to be all things to all viewers...part action, part drama, with a touch of sex thrown in for good measure. I'd give it a go, if you're in the mood for nothing substantial. 6 or 7 out of 10, in my opinion.

This is one of the better sci-fi/super hero movies made in the 1990's. Though the blatant use of sex could have been toned down, it did serve the purpose of highlighting the main character's evolution from an unfeeling "machine" to a very caring, heroic woman the viewer was ready to cheer for all the way to the bitter end. Bobbie Phillips, who played "Kam" the re-engineered woman who saves a young boy, really made this movie the gem that it is and was ably assisted by her co-star Eric Lloyd, the boy who played "Ghen".If you like this movie, you will also like the X-Men, Xena, and the Queen of Swords. You may also like Wonder Woman and some of Ray Bradbury's works.

Bobbie Phillips made the day for this movie. She portrayed smart, strong, sexy Kam projecting her quite confidence and inner conflicts very well. If you like the genre of Wonder Woman, Xena, or Supergirl, then you'll like this movie.Unfortunately, Kam's special abilities, the anchor of the movie's plot, were seldom exploited in the storyline. Bobbie Phillips had only a few chances to show off Kam's special abilities, but when she did have a chance, she was flawless.There is talk of UPN making Chameleon into a series. It would be a smart move. Perhaps people are ready to see women in tough action roles without having to make appalingly stupid VIP and Cleopatra 2525 cheesecake type shows.