Nice effects though.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

This film had an amazing start and then things went kinda downfall i don't agree with the 0% on Rotten Tomatoes but still it was kinda disappointing too much stupid things going on i never seen a whole police department in a film being so 'Dirty' i mean common they send a whole goddamn army to kill Justin Timberlake. Also the film has a great cast that doesn't seem to care in order to use them well like Morgan Freeman and Kevin Spacey who they just come and goes. Anyways it had it's moments as a film and for sure it doesn't deserve all this bad reviews but i understand why tho....it's a good film for what it is i give it a 7.

Upon its completion in 2005, Edison (alternatively titled Edison Force) endured a torturous limbo existence. Following a disastrous reception at the 2005 Toronto Film Festival as well as terrible test screening reactions, its theatrical release was jettisoned and it headed straight to DVD. Similar to Uwe Boll's BloodRayne, one will likely glance at the cast list for this movie and wonder why such big-name stars agreed to appear in it. Sure, witnessing the likes of LL Cool J and Justin Timberlake in this type of direct-to-DVD action fodder is not much of a shock, but when they're placed alongside such respected actors as Kevin Spacey and Morgan Freeman...one can't help but wonder what the hell happened. Though far more watchable and entertaining than its reception might suggest, Edison remains highly disposable, forgettable and generic. There's nothing wrong with the movie at face value, but it's pure genre stuff, and clearly a paycheck effort for all involved.In the film, Timberlake plays a naïve and ambitious reporter named Pollack whose research for his latest story leads to the discovery of a major scandal. An elite police force in Edison known as F.R.A.T. appears to be corrupt, and the entire justice system seems to be willingly turning a blind eye to the abuses of this unit. When Pollack's life is threatened (along with the life of his girlfriend), he begins working with his editor, a once-famous reporter, and a private detective to bring down F.R.A.T. and everyone behind it.Long-time small-screen scribe David J. Burke makes his writing and directing debut with Edison; a flick which clearly strived to be a sprawling corruption drama in the vein of Chinatown and L.A. Confidential that additionally tries to deliver an important message about the moral responsibilities of journalists. Before diving into this film's innumerable flaws, it must be said that Burke's directorial work is solid. Backed by a reported $25 million budget, the first-time director has crafted a number of exciting set-pieces, and the cinematography is frequently energetic. The score, too, is effective. But the problem is that this movie is a parade of clichés which only clicks on a very basic level. With a loose-cannon antagonist, the hard- ass cop with a good heart who strives to fight against corruption, and Freeman portraying the wise old Pulitzer-winner unsubtly named Moses, the whole enterprise is very familiar, meaning there's not a great deal of suspense. The plotting sorely lacks credibility as well - some of the characters are so inept at covering their tracks that a reporter from a small magazine could pin them to the mat.In terms of action and suspense, Edison flaunts a few decent scenes here and there, but the film as a whole fails to gel. This is mainly due to Justin Timberlake, whose acting one can't help but snicker at. The inexperienced actor is saddled with the enormous responsibility of carrying the film's dramatic weight, and the movie was almost certainly designed as a stepping stone for Timberlake up to star status, but the singer is not compelling or believable enough. Also, he's consistently outshone by his co-stars, most notably Kevin Spacey and Morgan Freeman, who, while phoning in their performances, are still Kevin Spacey and Morgan Freeman! Timberlake may get better as an actor with time, but he's completely wrong for this role. Added to this, Edison is plagued with too many utterly inane moments, including a scene where Pollack escapes the bad guys on a bicycle and a sequence in which Morgan Freeman dances in his dressing gown.At first, Edison is bursting with promise. Despite some underwhelming acting, the conspiracy plot is engaging and the film does a fine job of making us curious. From there, Burke decides to wrap everything up like a cheapjack action flick, and thus the quiet conspiracy thriller approach is suddenly replaced by shoot-'em-up action set-pieces, car chases, explosions and even a flamethrower. The director might find it cool when people are killed in violent ways, but he fails to understand that this is not the outlet for such a thing. Once the characters shut up and the bullets begin to fly, we see past the glossy sheen of this all-star ensemble and realise Edison is nothing more than a direct-to- DVD actioner inhabited by a few A-listers. Timberlake fans or fans of hardcore action flicks may find this an enjoyable evening of movie- watching. For those seeking something more substantive...move along, there's nothing to see here.

First off, I don't have a clue why this movie rates so low everywhere. Honestly, I don't understand it whatsoever. Okay, so it's not Oscar worthy, potential classic or mind-bendingly original, but it's certainly not as bad as everyone seems to be making out.I've read reviews claiming that Timberlake's performance is the worst they've ever seen. Seriously, they couldn't have seen much bad acting if that's what they think. It's competent and believable, void of any awkwardness that some films are plagued with through lack of chemistry and/or generally bad performances.I swear I must've seen a completely different film to everyone else. Morgan Freeman and Kevin Spacey have quite pivotal roles with plenty of screen time, by no means minor characters, and their acting isn't as low-rate as everyone's making out. This film is very plot and suspense driven, despite the lack of plot revelations and in-your-face action (although there is some of that at the end). I've also read of action sequence plot holes such as Timberlake's character, although never having fired a gun before, fires it perfectly, and when he runs out of ammo, 2 more cartridges appear from nowhere - Timberlake's character holds an Uzi for about 2 seconds and he never fires it. LL Cool J's character never has any moments of magical ammo, although the one man against an entire police department is a little far-fetched.All-in-all, it's actually nowhere near as bad as people keep making out. Give it a try before you knock it.

A young ambitious reporter (Josh Pollack) discovers that an elite police squad is operating outside of the law. Josh's pursuit of the truth behind crime in Edison is fuelled initially by his own ambition to become a celebrated investigative journalist. But when Josh and his girlfriend are savagely attacked, the reasons behind his pursuit become slightly more noble. I have to admit, I avoided watching this movie for a long time. I was tempted - every time I saw it staring at me in the DVD store I picked it up and usually set it quickly down again. The reason why I avoided it was Justin Timberlake. I really object when pop stars, teen idols, footballers, models, etc. are wedged into acting roles (wouldn't Rio Bravo have been as near to perfection as a film can be had not Ricky Nelson started to sing in the middle of it?) Therefore, if I see the likes of Paris Hilton on the cast list I usually won't bother. That being said, Edison is not a film aimed at a teenage audience; it seemed to be a serious film about Police corruption and the rest of the cast did include Morgan Freeman and Kevin Spacey. So after much inner turmoil, I succumbed to the temptation and settled down to watch it....I shouldn't have bothered! The mind boggles as to why Timberlake was cast as Josh Pollack. I could have understood if this was a minor role, but it is not; the entire plot is based around his character. I could even have understood if his character was the traditional young idealist doing everything he could to make the world a better place (I am sure that even Justin Timberlake could have pulled off young and pure of heart). But no, Josh Pollock is a complicated character who wants fame and a Pulitzer Prize using the minimum amount of effort. In someone else's hands, Josh Pollock could have emerged as great cinema lead. But enough of this Justin bashing, because this film has many other flaws... The plot is ludicrous at times (a police officer gets shot dead inside the District Attorney's office and nobody really seems to bat an eye). There are hardly any likable characters in the film, no one really seems to get punished for their misdeeds and the film's moral message is lost along the way. In short, Edison is a mess, which is a bit of a shame. I believe with the lead role recast and a few minor script revisions it had the potential to have been a great film.