The movies opened in 2022 with what was supposed to be a bang, but it was really more of a dud. The 355 has garnered little interest at the box office, but it is the first opener of the year. The main money maker is still Spider-Man by a large margin, and that is followed by Sing 2, then in third by a large margin was The 355. It tried its best to have a large marketing campaign and to make some noise, plus it did not open against any other film, but it ultimately failed. Hopefully the year will get off to a better start next week with the new Scream movie.
The 355 is a movie about an external hard drive that has a software upon it that gives the user basically unlimited technological power. The main way in which they display the power of the drive is by using it to crash planes, both cargo and passenger. They also use it to cause a city-wide power outage. There are four girls that all work for different agencies or independently that end up coming together to help retrieve the drive. It continues to exchange hands constantly between those that are trying to save the world and those that want chaos and power. Another woman gets added to the super team along the way as well. Then like all action movies, there was a final battle, but then this movie had like 15 minutes of epilogue to set up a potential sequel that will probably never happen. There are also some predictable twists throughout the movie.
Normally the movies that come out in January and February are looked down upon and have an incredibly poor reputation, so I went into this with low expectations. I can say that it ended up being better than my expectations, but it was not good, or average, but slightly below average. So it stands to reason that there might not be a decent movie released in theaters until Batman on March 4th, which I am highly anticipating, but I still have hope for some of the releases between now and then.
This movie had many problems. The first of which came from how tame the action was. There was no one scene that really jumped out to me as well done. It was all average. Even the ultimate fight scene in the hotel was lack luster. It lacked a general degree of violence that is expected in an action movie, even with its PG-13 ranking. There are copious amounts of action movies that are not rated R that are excellent.
The continual attempt to make action movies or reboot a successful franchise (Ghost Busters 2016 and Ocean’s 8) with female leads or groups has not been too successful so far. When Daniel Craig was asked if there should be a female James Bond in an interview, he said no, but that someone should create a female equivalent of James Bond. I agree with this statement. There is no reason why there cannot be a female led action franchise that is every bit as good as James Bond or Mission Impossible. They just have not found it yet, but one day, I am positive there will be a successful female action franchise.
The plot also lacked an emotional pull, not that action movies are typically rooted in their ability to draw emotions, but they did attempt to extract some feelings, but there was not enough character development to feel the devastation that some of the characters ended up feeling. I found this surprising considering the cast that this film had. Jessica Chastain, who was the lead of the crew in this film, was just on a tv show on HBO called Scenes from a Marriage, where every episode is her and Oscar Isaac taking the viewer on an emotional roller-coaster as they wreck emotional havoc on each other, and she is superb. So it was surprising for her performance to fall so flat in this film. Then there is Lupita Nyong’o, who also has an impressive resume. She plays two roles in Us, where she plays a protective mother and her doppelganger killer that comes out of the underground in an unsettling performance. The other women are also well-known actresses, so it was surprising that all their combined performances did not do much in the improvement department. Sometimes good acting can lift a bad plot, but this was not the case for this movie.
Overall this is not a movie worth going to see. It was not terrible, but two hours is a long commitment for subpar action and acting that does not draw any emotion, and then that is piled on top of an uninteresting plot. That does not make for a worthwhile trip to the movies. I gave this film 2.5 stars, a perfectly below average ranking. Give women the justice they deserve and make them a better action movie!
Other Movies This Week:
The Lost Daughter: An emotional ride the delves into a story about the worst mother ever. Not only was she a bad mother to her own children, she tries to share her bad motherdom with others as well. Good acting by Olivia Coleman, you really want to hate her. (Netflix)
Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts: An emotional blend of reminiscing and an informational look into the world behind Hogwarts. This could have been 7 hours, and I would have sat there and watched it all. It was beautiful to see all their relationships off the screen, even from the older cast members connecting with the younger. Well worth the watch if you are into that. (HBO Max)
Hold the Dark: A man is sent to hunt for a wolf that allegedly ate a family’s kid, but once he starts his mission, he finds out that the truth is much darker. It is a mediocre movie on Netflix with a cool setting. (Netflix)
The Tender Bar: A boy raised in a home without a father figure, tries to make his mother proud. He also uses his uncle, Ben Affleck, as a father figure, who is a secret genius that always seems to have some sage advice. It is not too emotional, but it still has a feel good moment as JR finds his voice both literally and in writing. (Prime)
Stand By Me: Four kids out looking for a dead body just being kids. They all seem to have some level of parental trouble, but they can find solace in each other, and they will always have this story to tell. You cannot watch without looking back fondly on all the adventures you took as a adolescent with your crew and then feel the nostalgia rush over you. (Netflix)
New Rankings:
The 355: 2.5 Stars
The Lost Daughter: 3 Stars
Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts: 4 Stars
Hold the Dark: 2.5 Stars
The Tender Bar: 3 Stars
Comments