A couple of years ago I won tickets to an advanced screening
of Iron Man 2 through a radio contest. Upon winning I had to register with this
website to claim the prize and print the tickets. It was a few weeks later that
I started getting e-mails from that site, offering me tickets to advanced
screenings of other movies, completely free of charge. Since then I have seen
several movies for free, days (sometimes weeks or even months) before they officially release.
I’ve decided to start blogging occasionally about these movies offering my reviews on them. Tonight I attended yet another pre-screening and decided to follow it up with
my first review. I'd love to hear any suggestions on what sort of information I should add/takeaway from the review or any other suggestions you may have. Also, no worries, my reviews are completely spoiler free.
The Movie:
Jack Reacher, starring Tom Cruise.
Directed by Christopher McQuarrie.
Release Date: December 21st.
Official Movie
Synopsis:
When a gunman takes five lives with six shots, all evidence
points to the suspect in custody. On interrogation, the suspect offers up a
single note: "Get Jack Reacher!" So begins an extraordinary chase for
the truth, pitting Jack Reacher against an unexpected enemy, with a skill for
violence and a secret to keep.
What to expect:
This movie produced by, and starring Tom Cruise, was a cut
and dry action flick. Do you like car chases? Fight scenes? Lots of gun fire? If so, this is your kind of movie. It’s reminiscent
of the 80’s action movies of old, One “I don’t play by the rules” badass,
searching for answers, and beating up half-wit bad guys along the way. If you’re
not into that sort of thing, and suspension of disbelief doesn’t come easily
for you, maybe you should pass this one by. The dialogue is spoof-worthy at
points, and delivered with soap operaesque dramatic flair.
Negatives:
My biggest problem with the movie was character inconsistency.
A lot of time is spent building characters and explaining their personalities
and histories to make certain scenes more believable, but the second something
needs to happen to help the plot, that personality trait or part of their
history is no longer relevant. Aside from that, the cheesy dialogue is my
biggest gripe.
Positives:
Unlike many action movies that I would compare this one too,
the plot is not entirely predictable. Some avid movie goers may figure the
movie out moments before it unfolds, but you don’t go into the movie expecting
the exact same ending you get. Also to my surprise, the movie had a few laugh
out loud funny moments, lightening the mood from the dark and serious tone it
sets early on.
My Thoughts:
Unless you’re a die hard Tom Cruise fan, or a sucker for
stereotypical action movies, I’d say this movie is best saved for Redbox or
Netflix.
