The first-time director, Steve“Spaz” Williams,
is a visual-effects veteran(“Jurassic Park”) who has no problem with allowing the story, not the effects(which are impressive), to provide the driving force.
But after Joey Deacon appeared on UK children's TV programme Blue Peter,
children began to use"spastic"(and variants such as"Spaz" and"spacker") as an insult and the term is now seen as very offensive.