Lyoko Freak • View topic - What movie you saw at the theaters, tv, airplanes, etc.?

(Contains what might be considered spoilers. The movie is pretty predictable, though--you can probably figure out how it'll finish when you watch the trailer--so I wouldn't worry about it.)

I recently watched The Brave One, starring Jodie Foster (Erica Bain) and Terrence Howard (Sean Mercer). The premise of the movie is that, after her boyfriend is brutally murdered by a bunch of gang-bangers over a dog, Erica takes the law into her own hands and delivers a brand of vigilante justice. I rented it, thinking that, with the protagonist being a female, the story would unfold in a more sensible and insightful manner.

Seems I was wrong. h0t actiun grl wit m4chin3 gun gogogo. But I did learn a few things through the course of this movie! Observe: It's okay to destroy your entire life because you simply can't let go of the past, and it's okay to be vindictive in the process. As long as you express your regret and shame in the narrative dialogue, you can keep killing people. Cops are supposed to plant evidence. All people who have a history with illegal activities (be it prostitution, domestic violence, gang-related activities, or stealing a cracker) are irredeemably evil. If you need a reason to justifiably kill someone in self-defense (or if you just want the protagonist to let out some expository dialogue to convince the audience that, hey, she might not be a total pig!), go hang around in bad neighborhoods by yourself.

But that's a more subjective review. Getting technical--the dialogue was over-the-top, and it tried to play off poorly portrayed emotions. Even if the film had ended in a manner that I felt was "right", I would still feel the same: They did not accurately illustrate emotions enough for me to care about the protagonist or her conquest. Though the narratives happened to be a bit long and contrived at times, the scenes played by fairly quickly, though nothing in particularly really made it different than walking from point A to point B, nor did it particularly advance the plot. Ever heard of the trope: Idiot Hero(ine)? Right; the plot was moved forward because of particularly outrageous methods and "freebies" that made a potentially difficult problem easily solved. For a while, we lost sight of the overarching plot (avenging her boyfriend), instead focusing on scenes that did not contribute to the plot and the character, but when we returned, it wasn't particularly rewarding.

Overall, I'm feeling a mix of disgust and amusement. I'm utterly disgusted at the quality of this film (especially the ending); the characters were shallow, feelings are projected by popping a cap in a black man's--ahem, stereotypes (most foreigners are portrayed as victims or victimizers, plus the ever-present and ever-annoying "Mammy archetype"), and I am disappointed that the film turned into unnecessarily violent and contrived revenge porn.

I'm particularly amused that this film sat well with most critics--but that's about it. Foster and Howard had acceptable acting, but they were portraying unsympathetic characters. No amount of acting could really justify this movie. I feel 0/5 stars would be an appropriate score--I can't really find anything innovative or natural about this film.

Edited to provide a fairer review. And yes, I realize how freaking long this post is.

Lyoko Freak: 2005 - 2015. Return to the past now....

What movie you saw at the theaters, tv, airplanes, etc.?

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