I was given some preview passes to see the movie Lockout at the Mazza Gallery Theater in Washington, DC. So, while I’m not a critic, I thought I would share my thoughts in case you are trying to decide whether to see this sci fi action flick.
The short answer is that if you are looking for an academy award worthy script, deep character acting, and a deep commentary on society, go see something else. But, if (like me) you are looking for derivative over the top action, double entrande one liners, and whole lot of mindless cheesy fun, then I would say that you should see Lockout. It is not a memorable movie, but an enjoyable way to spend 95 minutes.
Although credited as an original idea from Luc Bessen, the plot of Lockout is Fortress meets Escape from New York meets Die Hard meets Demolition Man as Guy Pierce plays, Snow, a former CIA operative wrongly convicted of being a traitor against the U.S. and sentenced to MS-1, a high security space prison where prisoners are kept in stasis. However, after a prison breakout occurs on MS-1, Snow is offered his freedom if he can rescue the president's daughter (Maggie Grace), who has been captured by a group of violent inmates led by the calculating Alex (Vincent Regan) and the psychopath Hyden (Joseph Gilgun). There is also a clear his name/find the real traitor subplot involving the President, CIA and Secret Service that never really takes off but doesn’t add or detract from the enjoyment of the film.
The short answer is that if you are looking for an academy award worthy script, deep character acting, and a deep commentary on society, go see something else. But, if (like me) you are looking for derivative over the top action, double entrande one liners, and whole lot of mindless cheesy fun, then I would say that you should see Lockout. It is not a memorable movie, but an enjoyable way to spend 95 minutes.
Although credited as an original idea from Luc Bessen, the plot of Lockout is Fortress meets Escape from New York meets Die Hard meets Demolition Man as Guy Pierce plays, Snow, a former CIA operative wrongly convicted of being a traitor against the U.S. and sentenced to MS-1, a high security space prison where prisoners are kept in stasis. However, after a prison breakout occurs on MS-1, Snow is offered his freedom if he can rescue the president's daughter (Maggie Grace), who has been captured by a group of violent inmates led by the calculating Alex (Vincent Regan) and the psychopath Hyden (Joseph Gilgun). There is also a clear his name/find the real traitor subplot involving the President, CIA and Secret Service that never really takes off but doesn’t add or detract from the enjoyment of the film.
Pierce plays the prototype reluctant hero complete with a one liner for every occasion. I’m actually not sure if he had any dialog that wasn’t a one liner. Grace’s character is not as consistent in the film and alternates from social crusader, to damsel in distress, to strong female protagonist depending on the scene. And while neither will be recognized by the Academy for this film, the witty banter between the two characters is well written and helps pass the time between the inevitable action scenes. The CGI is not great, but it does its job. The worst of it being the opening scene, which featured a chase scene (which reminded me of Minority Report) that kind of looked like a high end video game (It was also a bit jumpy, but I had to sit near the front of the theater so that might just be me).
The movie is PG13. In some ways, I think I would have preferred to see what this film would have looked like with an R rating and over the top gore and violence (like Robocop or Total Recal). Needless to say, while there is no nudity or excessive profanity, the violence makes this is a pretty hard PG 13 and I think some of the more violent scenes probably merit an R (despite last minute cutaways and bloodless murders).
All in all, I enjoyed Lockout--as did most of the preview screening audience. They were response when and where you would expect and some (myself included) laughed out loud at Snow’s witty banter. In short, the plot is cliché, the effects are cheesy, but the film is fun and that was all I wanted from it. It was a nice warm up to the summer movie season.
Your mileage may vary.
All in all, I enjoyed Lockout--as did most of the preview screening audience. They were response when and where you would expect and some (myself included) laughed out loud at Snow’s witty banter. In short, the plot is cliché, the effects are cheesy, but the film is fun and that was all I wanted from it. It was a nice warm up to the summer movie season.
Your mileage may vary.
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