This is easily the most fun and best popcorn movie of the summer. The story is solid, the acting first rate, the scenery is spectacular and the special effects are on par with "Lord of the Rings." A few weeks ago, director Rob Cohen of ("xXx" and "The Fast and the Furious") spoke with me while in Chicago to promote his latest effort.

George Singleton: A film about the Stealth fighter planes provides a great opportunity for showing off special effects. Tell me about making the scene in Alaska with the explosion that showed the vehicles and bodies in mid air being pushed away from the building. It looked so real.

Rob Cohen: (Hearty laughter) It looked real because it was. That was the one big action scene that did not use CGI (Computer Generated Images). There are ways you can use different cameras and lenses to make events look closer than they are to other things. We had explosive packs that propelled the stunt actors; combined with the cameras and editing, it looked like events were closer together than they really were.

GS: Was Jamie Foxx on board before "Ray" was released and the Oscar hype began?

RC: Yes. We started shooting the film just before "Collateral" was released, which was a few months before "Ray." Foxx is an amazing actor and an example of a new generation. He’ll be a multiple Oscar winner. He has the intensity of Denzel Washington and the grace of Morgan Freeman.

GS: Pam (who co writes the reviews with me) in particular liked the way the lead female character, (played by) Jessica Biel (Cellular), was portrayed. She was sexy, yet not too pretty, and when it (was time for her) to be on her own, not depending on a man for survival, she more than held it together. What was behind how her role was directed?

RC: First, I should thank the military for allowing us to use three of their aircraft carriers and for the consultation on a variety of things about our men and women in the armed forces. Pilots that are in special programs like Foxx and Biel tend to have been around for 10 or so years. With Jessica being only 21 when the movie was made, she had to beef up a little and tone things down a lot for her character to be realistic. She even did neck exercises, after visiting a military academy, to better be able to twist left or right depending on the direction of G forces at the time. This helps to keep blood flowing to the brain. When off duty, she could wear an elegant dress but the makeup was minimal. That’s real world.

GS: Pam also liked the fact that the Stealth plane that was flown by artificial intelligence "arced" during the film. This was something that even Hal in "2001: Space Odyssey," and many human characters do not do. Where did that idea come from?

RC: We wanted to show both the positive and negative sides of technology with respect to war. It’s those unintended consequences that can get us into so much trouble.