bardnoir-810-404602
Joined Oct 2013
Welcome to the new profile
We're still working on updating some profile features. To see the badges, ratings breakdowns, and polls for this profile, please go to the previous version.
Reviews19
bardnoir-810-404602's rating
This feels like it was planned as a different movie and someone said they should make it an Equalizer movie to continue the franchise. The whole plot with the agents getting involved only to be sidelined in the last act made me wonder why there were there. Cut out all their scenes and the movie could stand on its own but you have to pad that runtime
The biggest problem I have with this movie is pacing. Is off because it doesn't seem like this was supposed to be an Equalizer movie. There is no real weight to any of the interactions with the other characters. Even the people he's trying to protect, like the first movie, were in his community. Here he's just kind of dropped into a story that then derails making most of the side character pointless.
The biggest problem I have with this movie is pacing. Is off because it doesn't seem like this was supposed to be an Equalizer movie. There is no real weight to any of the interactions with the other characters. Even the people he's trying to protect, like the first movie, were in his community. Here he's just kind of dropped into a story that then derails making most of the side character pointless.
On the surface, the lowbrow humor and plot seems aimed at children. However, the central premise of selling your soul to Satan introduces themes far more complex than most kids would grasp. And while there are lessons on honesty and doing the right thing, as well as a subplot involving a father learning to trust his child when faced with the incomprehensible, these things might resonate more with adults.
The humor, while aiming for lightheartedness, often comes across as juvenile, which grated on me. The moral lessons appear too nuanced or misplaced for kids to grasp. So I'm not sure if this is really a family movie or just one that has something for everyone in the family.
Kids can just endure the boring efforts at moral quandary while parents have to suffer through jokes that haven't been funny since they were in elementary school.
That said, the performances are great. Jack Black just steals every scene he's in. The subplot involving the parents, particularly the father's arc, is great. But the narrative as a whole, fails to dig deep enough into its more complex elements, like a child's struggles with dyslexia and the implications of accidentally summoning Satan.
The ending, for me, falls flat and feels contrived. It's as if the writers needed to wrap things up. The protagonist doesn't resolving anything so ending feeling unearned.
As a movie to play in the background, feel free to the queue this up, but don't feel you have to sit and watch it. You can get all the jokes and plot points while still cooking a holiday dinner for twelve.
The humor, while aiming for lightheartedness, often comes across as juvenile, which grated on me. The moral lessons appear too nuanced or misplaced for kids to grasp. So I'm not sure if this is really a family movie or just one that has something for everyone in the family.
Kids can just endure the boring efforts at moral quandary while parents have to suffer through jokes that haven't been funny since they were in elementary school.
That said, the performances are great. Jack Black just steals every scene he's in. The subplot involving the parents, particularly the father's arc, is great. But the narrative as a whole, fails to dig deep enough into its more complex elements, like a child's struggles with dyslexia and the implications of accidentally summoning Satan.
The ending, for me, falls flat and feels contrived. It's as if the writers needed to wrap things up. The protagonist doesn't resolving anything so ending feeling unearned.
As a movie to play in the background, feel free to the queue this up, but don't feel you have to sit and watch it. You can get all the jokes and plot points while still cooking a holiday dinner for twelve.
I'm almost surprised by how good this movie was. I had expected some action, and the premise wasn't new. It's a film in real-time, not unlike "Nick of Time" with Depp or the classic "Rope" from Hitchcock. Basically, the bulk of the movie is that the main character has sixty minutes to get somewhere and there are forces that don't want him to make it. The movie starts off, then the clock literally starts counting down and it's Go-Time.
Because the scenes have to move quickly it was almost surprising how much story unfolds through dialog and interactions. There is more going on in this movie than just a guy fighting his way across town.
The ticking clock adds an extra layer of tension and I found myself checking the time on my own clock, not just the run time of the movie. They really do line up pretty well, which is a huge credit to the editors. This isn't one of those movies where they have five minutes to defuse a bomb, but we cut to another scene that's ten minutes of dialogue.
It was stressing me out various points in the film. But, it's not a super involved plot, and yet it has some good character development. None of which I typically expect from films like this. Well worth a viewing.
Because the scenes have to move quickly it was almost surprising how much story unfolds through dialog and interactions. There is more going on in this movie than just a guy fighting his way across town.
The ticking clock adds an extra layer of tension and I found myself checking the time on my own clock, not just the run time of the movie. They really do line up pretty well, which is a huge credit to the editors. This isn't one of those movies where they have five minutes to defuse a bomb, but we cut to another scene that's ten minutes of dialogue.
It was stressing me out various points in the film. But, it's not a super involved plot, and yet it has some good character development. None of which I typically expect from films like this. Well worth a viewing.