The only things that the picture gets right are the snow sequences, which are breathtaking. They blow it on everything else, even the sound. The sound of surf in BLUE CRUSH made a frightening noise, full of deep bass roar. In contrast, the various avalanches in EXTREME OPS make little auditory impact.

Rufus Sewell, a fine actor, is completely wasted as Ian, the commercial's director. Bridgette Wilson plays Chloe, a very blonde, gold-medalist skier who doesn't think she can do the stunts like the rest of the hot-dogging athletes. Do you think that, after one pratfall after another, she might up end up being a hero?

The movie really goes off the deep end when it introduces a subplot about a Serbian war criminal who decides that the commercial actors are really spies. The silly script includes such drivel as, "I know they are a CIA plant. I can smell it."

After generating several large, unintentional laughs, the movie finally ends with the bad guys dead and the good guys with their commercial in the can. One of the characters gives viewers an early warning when she declares, "It's not funny or clever. Watch out!"

EXTREME OPS runs 1:25. It is rated PG-13 for "violence/peril, language and some nudity" and would be acceptable for kids around 10 and up.

My son Jeffrey, age 13, gave it 1/2 of a star for the snowboarding scenes. He complained that it had no plot and that it was less exciting than watching bread rise.