I first heard about Bad Robot Interactive’s app Action Movie FX for iPhone and iPod Touch when my loving fiancé said “Hey, look at this!” and proceeded to show me a video clip of a missile blowing up our living room with me in it. Neat.
Of course I wanted to check out the app for myself (and get back at him). In Action Movie FX, the Bad Robot team (that’s J.J. Abrams’ production company, if you’re confused by the Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol tie-ins) offers three free effects: missile attack, car smash and, the newest, demolition rock. To use Action Movie, select an effect and shoot at least 5 seconds of video — the app doesn’t work on previously filmed clips. Then you can select the starting point for your effect.
Action Movie FX takes more than a few seconds to process your clip, but once it’s complete, you can share it via Facebook or email, or save the clip to your camera roll. In addition to the three free effects, there are four additional effect packs available for $0.99 each. The effects look the same every time, and it’s important to follow the provided tips for the best results
Action Movie FX worked fine on my iPhone 4, but if the overwhelming number of “doesn’t work” comments in the App Store are accurate — and with this many reviews I can’t see how they aren’t — users with fourth-gen iPod Touch are not having such a fun time with the app. If you’re using this device, hold off on installing Action Movie FX until a suitable update is in place.
If it works for you, I doubt Action Movie FX will become a regularly accessed app, but the free effects should garner a giggle or two, so downloading the app is worth a few minutes of your time.
