Sabotage

Strange but captivating, Tony Hawk's Boom Boom Sabotage is a virtual adventure built around a singular idea: using motion-capture technology to turn skateboarding stunts into impressive computer animation. The weird story finds a ghoulish but down-on-its-luck circus fallen on hard times and unable to book a performance in the town of Lincolnville's civic arena. The ringleader, Grimley, conspires to sabotage an upcoming performance by Tony Hawk in the facility, and put on his own circus act for an audience awaiting the skateboarding legend. Hawk (who provides his own voice) and a couple of his buddies are kidnapped, and the only people who know it are several teen slackers determined to rescue their hero. The barely human villain and his cohorts, good for a laugh, are a little reminiscent of the Blue Meanies in Yellow Submarine, and the adolescent heroes are likable in their unformed way. Plentiful sequences of skateboarding action (on a halfpipe, railings, and steps, etc.) are the real star, however, and look pretty good digitally translated. --Tom Keogh