A mini review. No spoilers.
Went to an advanced screening and was pretty excited for it. Sadly it's a little on the wrong side of average.
Despite the marketing I wouldn't call American Ultra a "stoner comedy." Yeah, there are a few pot jokes, but the film strays pretty far from even the "comedy" label. It's not that jokes fall flat, it's that AU doesn't make many, despite the intentional absurdity of the plot. That's a problem, because it's not really an action film, either. There's no spectacle to the action scenes. They're very small scale, simple, and lacking any set pieces like in the Jumpstreet movies or badass choreography like John Wick. So it felt more like an episode of TV than a movie. Plus, the only thing ever at stake is the hero's life.
The plot was predictable/formulaic. So nothing about the movie stands out, to me. The best way to describe it would be a quirky indie drama/love story with some farcical humor and gun fire sprinkled in.
Would have much preferred to be laughing through the action scenes, like Jumpstreet. The tone was very, very bizarre given the low laugh count.
Went to an advanced screening and was pretty excited for it. Sadly it's a little on the wrong side of average.
Despite the marketing I wouldn't call American Ultra a "stoner comedy." Yeah, there are a few pot jokes, but the film strays pretty far from even the "comedy" label. It's not that jokes fall flat, it's that AU doesn't make many, despite the intentional absurdity of the plot. That's a problem, because it's not really an action film, either. There's no spectacle to the action scenes. They're very small scale, simple, and lacking any set pieces like in the Jumpstreet movies or badass choreography like John Wick. So it felt more like an episode of TV than a movie. Plus, the only thing ever at stake is the hero's life.
The plot was predictable/formulaic. So nothing about the movie stands out, to me. The best way to describe it would be a quirky indie drama/love story with some farcical humor and gun fire sprinkled in.
Would have much preferred to be laughing through the action scenes, like Jumpstreet. The tone was very, very bizarre given the low laugh count.
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