“Vantage Point,” the big screen debut for director Pete Travis, makes a stab at linking current events with existential philosophy — in particular that reality is dictated by perspective. Wait, keep reading; existentialism is just a fancy word for a rather common sense idea: Reality is different for each person. What you see is what  is real to you, but, as this movie demonstrates, you can’t see everything; the whole story is almost never completely revealed to one person.

Travis put his back into the task of showing the audience a range of perspectives (or vantage points), one after the other, that will eventually reveal the depth and breadth of a caper-style terrorist plot set during a “ground breaking” peace conference in Spain.

An A-list cast, all with less than leading roles, lends the film a twinge of legitimacy, but it’s obvious that this piece is for fun. “Vantage Point” reruns through the same scenario a half a dozen times with a rewinding transition between each episode. The effect is kind of cheesy and something you would expect to see on a TV drama, which is no surprise because Travis’ experience is in television.

Sigourney Weaver plays news program director Rex Brooks. Her network, GNN, is covering the conference’s opening speeches. Zoe Saldana (“Center Stage,” 2000) plays Angie Jones, an upstart TV journalist who thinks that GNN’s coverage of the event is “dumbed down.” The relationship between journalism and terrorism is a hot topic in light of the extensive and varied coverage of the War in Iraq. The media is our tie to world events. That relationship can become particularly tense and pivotal during natural and man-made disasters and Vantage keys into this.

William Hurt stars as President Ashton whose presence at this conference is hailed in the film as momentous. Although the details of this peace conference are never elaborated upon, one has the sense that decisions will be made that will change significantly the approach America is taking to the war and terrorism. Dennis Quaid plays a secret service agent who has already taken a bullet for Ashton, and Matthew Fox, of “Lost,” is his partner. Quaid exudes ‘essence of Indiana Jones’ with every glance. His humanity and vulnerability don’t lessen the fervor of his commitment to protecting the president.

Characters in this film often make decisions based on the wrong information — dramatic irony at its most irritating. Expect your fellow audience members to talk at the screen in frustration, but try to suppress your desire to scream at that little girl in the third act who somehow grew up without ever being told that attempting to cross a busy highway packed with speeding cars is a stupid idea.

“Vantage Point’s” collective perspectives seem to comment on the importance of reserving judgment in the post 9/11 world. Perception can be easily manipulated and rash decisions should be avoided. President Ashton, at one point, resists his advisor’s insistence that America retaliate against an attack and bomb a camp in a friendly nation suspected to harbor terrorists. Although he can’t know it, he’s made the correct decision to “be strong” instead of “act strong.”

“Vantage Point” has a running time of 90 minutes and is rated PG-13 for intense violence and action, some disturbing images and brief strong language. You can see this movie at Oswego Cinema 7, 138 W. Second St., Oswego, at 5:25, 7:30 and 9:35 p.m.