This movie is another out-of-the-park non-stop action extravaganza from David Leitch. There are as many surprises and turnarounds as there are plot elements, and everything is used and reintroduced in surprising and inventive ways. The violence is rampant and often funny, but always well choreographed and flawlessly filmed.
Content warning: bloody action
Closest comparison: It’s like Snatch by way of Deadpool 2.
Setting: Thriller
Plot: Action
Tone: Action
This movie is a tired cash-grab, bringing nothing to the Rush Hour series and not even repeating the formula of the previous two films. Instead it plods along, delivering unfunny jokes, nothing interesting in the way of action, and forgetting to even have an interesting police investigation for the story to fall back on. Worst of all, its portrayal of the grown-up little girl from the first movie was uncomfortable and the ‘joke’ about transit authority cavity searches was distasteful. Don’t waste your time on this one, it’s nothing like its predecessors.
Closest comparison: It’s like The Other Guys by way of The Spy Next Door.
Setting: Detective
Plot: Buddy Cop
Tone: Raunchy Comedy
This is a love letter to fans of the video game, and delivers in a long, long string of mostly one-on-one fights with just enough plot in between to give us an idea of the character motivations in play. Instead of completely neglecting substance in favor of style, it settles for nuggets of hard-hitting character motivation that doesn’t get in the way of what the audience is there to see: awesome action. A few of the fights are a bit too dark or overly edited, but that still leaves a good dozen or so great fights. Not that it’s a high bar, but this is the best video game movie to date.
Content warning: some gore, some language
Closest comparison: It the visual sensibilities The Great Wall with the non-stop fight scenes of The Raid.
Setting: Action
Plot: Action
Tone: Action
Not only is this movie gorgeous right out of the gate, it also has a top notch slow burn thriller pacing. The musical score is definitely pulling its weight here, bringing both the weight of grandeur and a beautiful framework for the story, all the while digging its spurs into the tension. This movie is solidly character-driven and never loses sight of the mission, but keeps practicality always in the forefront of the story. For solidly tense sci-fi that’s also fun to watch you can’t do much better than this.
Closest comparison: It’s like a cross between U-571, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and parts of The Fountain..
Setting: Sci-fi
Plot: Disaster
Tone: Thriller
This is a fascinating mix of interesting ideas and problematic elements. It's very well filmed and acted, and it's a great new(ish) concept they explore. All the deaths are very painful-looking and there's lots of suspense (and a surprising amount of blood). So if those elements aren't really your thing, then definitely skip this one. I was expecting it to feel like a cross between Alien and Sunshine, but it just ended up feeling like The Mist.
