I'm glad Edgar Wright is remaking this, because there are a lot great ideas hidden in this mediocre film. It feels like it's cut from the same cloth as a lot of Verhoeven's work during this time, there's a similar balance of action, sci-fi and satire of 80s excess. Arnold does what you want him to do, the funny cheesy lines are there, the worldbuilding is fine; it checks a lot of boxes. It's just not very memorable, this needed a stronger director, cinematographer and composer. Almost every action sequence suffers from overediting, a lack of wide shots and poorly composed synth & guitar music that fails to amp up the tension. The heavy use of smoke obscures the depth of field and the movie often feels more small scale because of it. It's also not that well paced, taking too long to get to the interesting part. I still like that we have a less serious take on this concept next to Battle Royale, The Hunger Games and Squid Game, but it's almost begging for a remake.
Shout by JordyVIP 8BlockedParent2024-04-15T13:27:44Z
I'm glad Edgar Wright is remaking this, because there are a lot great ideas hidden in this mediocre film. It feels like it's cut from the same cloth as a lot of Verhoeven's work during this time, there's a similar balance of action, sci-fi and satire of 80s excess. Arnold does what you want him to do, the funny cheesy lines are there, the worldbuilding is fine; it checks a lot of boxes. It's just not very memorable, this needed a stronger director, cinematographer and composer. Almost every action sequence suffers from overediting, a lack of wide shots and poorly composed synth & guitar music that fails to amp up the tension. The heavy use of smoke obscures the depth of field and the movie often feels more small scale because of it. It's also not that well paced, taking too long to get to the interesting part. I still like that we have a less serious take on this concept next to Battle Royale, The Hunger Games and Squid Game, but it's almost begging for a remake.
5/10