This movie is a pretty faithful remake of the original, complete with pensive pacing and inherent ambiguities in the plot and its resolution. It’s cerebral sci-fi that doesn’t have as much to say as it seems to think it does, using an interesting concept to propel a somewhat less interesting story.
Closest comparison: It’s like Ad Astra by way of Melancholia (2011).
Setting: Grounded Sci-Fi
Plot: Mind-Bending Sci-Fi
Tone: Dramatic Sci-Fi
This movie is a down-to-earth hacker action movie. With Michael Mann’s attention to detail it gets right what most other hacker movies get wrong about the hacking, but it also makes for a drier film overall. The action is good, but not the driving force of the movie which instead opts for the taught feel of a political thriller. Its plot is more cookie-cutter than Mann’s usual detailed stories, and makes for more of a fun popcorn movie than his other thrillers.
Closest comparison: It’s like Mission: Impossible by way of Heat.
Setting: Espionage
Plot: Adventure
Tone: Thriller
This movie is a tour de force rebuttal to its previous installment. It’s a colorful, blood-spattered comedy corral, with a plot that actually works and consistent stakes. It retreads some story beats from the first installment but improves them just to flex. It takes bizarre situations and obscure characters, then injects them with pathos and treats them with more care than the rest of these non-MCU superhero cash-grabs.
Content warning: Gore
Closest comparison: It’s like Guardians of the Galaxy by way of Deadpool.
Setting: Military
Plot: Super Hero
Tone: Dark Comedy
This movie has an infamously bad reputation, but it’s not entirely warranted. The premise is great and in a few choice parts the execution is as well. But there are just so many bafflingly terrible plot, character, and directoral decisions that it bring down the good parts, making them fewer and further between as the movie goes on.
Closest comparison: It’s like Army of the Dead (2021) by way of Justice League (2017).
Setting: Disaster Action
Plot: Super Hero
Tone: Action Comedy
