Title: Lockout (2012)
Directors: James Mather, Stephen St.
Leger
Cast: Guy Pearce, Maggie Grace, Peter Stormare
Review:
I love films that take place in space because space always
has this aura of danger to it. In these kinds of films you have to deal with the
idea that humans were not made to be in space, it is very obviously not our
natural habitat. Not only that, space is quiet and lonely; I’ve never been up
to space, but you kind of get the idea that if you float a couple of hours up
there in all that darkness, you’ll end up feeling disconnected from humanity. To
me, it’s that quiet, that isolation, that imminent danger and risk factor that
makes it such a great setting for a movie to take place in. Plus, space is the
great unknown, we know next to nothing about it except that it’s vast and
seemingly never ending. That mystery surrounding space is what pulls me in to
these type of movies. So it’s no surprise that once Lockout was release I was
there as soon as I could to see it. How was it?
Lockout tells the story of a guy named Snow. He is wrongfully
accused of a murder, so he is being sent to this super jail in space called
MS-1 where he will be held in suspended animation for 15 years to pay for his ‘crime’.
At the same time, the presidents daughter, a young lady be the name of Emilie Warnock,
is visiting MS-1. She’s making sure that the prisoners are being treated
correctly and that the process of cryo-stasis is a reliable one. Rumors are
running around that turning convicts into popsicles has secondary effects on
the inmates. Supposedly when unfrozen from a long sleep an inmate can suddenly
suffer from space dementia or a bad case of the shakes. Others say that you can
have nightmares while under cryo-stasis. Imagine having a nightmare that lasts
for 15 years! Problems start when every single one of the inmates in MS-1 is
unfrozen are released! Now all the loons and psychos are running free through
the ship. First order of the day? Kidnap the Presidents daughter as ransom for
their demands! So now, instead of being turned into a Popsicle himself, Snow is
going to MS-1 to rescue the presidents’ daughter! Can he pull it off right
smack in the middle of a major jailbreak?
Guy Pierce plays the super tough Snow, a guy who takes a
licking and keeps on ticking. You try and punch out a confession out of this
guy, and he’ll spit a one liner for every punch you give him. You tell him he’s
going to be frozen for the next fifteen years for a crime he didn’t commit and
he tells you he’s looking forward to it. That’s right boys and girls; this is
the kind of movie Lockout is, like something straight out of the eighties.
Which means this is not a movie to be taken seriously at all, and if you didn’t
get that from simply watching the previews, well then I’m telling you, this
movie is brisk, fast paced and quick with a one liner. In fact, after a while
you kind of get the feeling that that’s the only language Snow speaks, not a
single line of dialog from this guy is serious! He is a non stop barrage of
jokes and sly remarks. Guy Pierce as the wisecracking Snow is part of what
makes this flick a little more watchable then it should be, other wise, had it
starred someone like Mark Wahlberg, I don’t think I would have enjoyed it as
much.
This kind of film is tailor made for me; I’m the audience that
studios targeted to merchandise this film. I was raised on a steady diet of 80’s
action films like Die Hard (1988), Commando (1985), Lock-Up (1989) and Escape
from New York
(1981). So of course I was going to go and watch this one. I mean the previews hailed
it as a mix between Blade Runner (1982) and Escape from New York ! But of course, previews will tell
you anything to get your butt inside the movie theater. And that they did
because this film is nothing like Blade Runner, I don’t know where they dug
that one out of. But it is a lot like Escape from New York , so I guess they only half lied on
their advertising campaign. Same as Snake Plissken in Escape from New York , Snow is a guy
who’s treated like crap by the system. He’s going to be the scapegoat to pay
for someone elses crimes, he’s the guy the system loves to stump with their
boot. Until the day they need him. When they need him they quickly change their
attitudes. They offer him a full pardon, give him all the weapons and gadgets he
needs and send him on life threatening mission. What producers won’t tell you
is that this film is also a bit like Escape from L.A. (1996) because it’s also about having to
go into a dangerous penitentiary to rescue the presidents’ daughter. Lockout
also has elements from films like Stuart Gordon’s campy and gory prison break
film, Fortress (1992), but if I’m to be even more accurate I’d say its closer
to Fortress 2 (2000) which takes place in a maximum security prison out in
space. The point is that this film is not very original, at all. Expect no
surprises. This is a compilation of a lot of films that came before it.
But so what, while watching Lockout you’ll notice that it’s
obvious these guys knew the kind of b-movie they were making. They wanted a
film filled with wise cracks, fast action and a happy ending. It’s a film made
by French guys playing the Hollywood game note
for note. Luc Besson knows what American audiences want to see and he’s giving
it to them. It’s not unlike what the Italians did back in the day with films
like 1990: The Bronx Warriors (1982), which by the way also has some similarities
with Lockout. Another way to look at Lockout is that it works just like The
Transporter films. You know they are not the best action films ever made or
ground breaking or though provoking on any level. What The Transporter films do
is play with a pre-established formula for an action film; but who cares right?
Because it’s always cool to see Jason Statham driving fast cars and kicking some
ass. Lockout is the same type of picture; originality is not a priority, this
film is simply playing with the genre, which of course can be fun. Believability
is not the main concern here either; the filmmakers’ main concern is that you
have a good time at the movies. They want you too laugh and say “cool!” every
five seconds. Unfortunately some of the effects work won’t make you say “cool”
every five seconds. There’s this completely laughable and terribly achieved
effects sequence that has Snow stealing a futuristic motorcycle and ensuing on
a high speed chase. The whole sequence was computer generated, but not in a
good way. I nominate this sequence for worst computer animated sequence of the
year. I mean, this one is right up there with the crappy aliens from TheDarkest Hour (2011). Worst part of all is that the filmmakers chose this
terrible sequence to open their movie with!
I respect Luc Besson as a filmmaker. When the guy is on, he
makes films like Leon :
The Professional (1994) and The Fifth Element (1997). Currently he keeps
directing European films that never see the light of day in America , and
produces many others that do. As a producer, he doesn’t really care about
making quality films; he cares more about making money. The Transporter films
are a good example of this. Not the best films in the world, but they make a
pretty penny, and they also allow new upcoming directors to stretch their
artistic muscles and learn a thing or two about filmmaking. Lockout is one such
film. It was directed by a duo of Besson protégés called James Mather and Stephen
St. Leger; two guys with not a lot of real filmmaking experience in their
hands, save for their short films, but hey, that’s how many great filmmakers
start out, so maybe these guys will be the future. For now, we get their first
steps in filmmaking with Lockout. Final words on Lockout: I love space faring
adventures as much as the next guy (and this one had its moments) but some of
the effects work on Lockout are amateurish! At least the quick action and the
numerous one liners will keep you entertained. Unfortunately this is the kind
of movie you forget as soon as you leave the theater. It’s a quick fix for
sci-fi junkies like me self, but not a full course.
Rating: 3 out of 5
7 comments:
This sound like some junky fun. Always good to see a respected actor take a risk on a b-movie like this.
Will probably give it a go when its on DVD. They don't make cheap sci-fi stuff like this anymore. It's always got to be big budget or nothing.
I know what you mean about Besson. I wish he'd go back to directing feature films. Those animated Arthur and the Invisibles films he made look terrible.
I thought Pearce’s performance was awesome and probably the best part of this flick. The action was also a lot fun too but you’ve all seen this done time and times before. Good review.
Yeah, this looks like one to catch on DVD. I will say that the trailers make this look like a lot of fun and I do really like Guy Pearce so based on his presence alone I'm curious to check it out. These kinds of B-movies can be a lot of fun. Case in point: DISTRICT B13.
Jack Thursby: Exactly, this kind of film is perfect for watching on DVD, it kind of reminded me of the kind of "cheap" sci-fi films they'd make in the eighties like Spacehunter (1983).
Those Arthur movies that Besson has been making apparently make a lot of dough, he's made three of them already! I do wish he'd make a live action soon, I miss his style!
@Dan O: Thanks Dan O!
@J.D.: It is fun, the trailers make it look 'great', way better then it actually is, which is why I went straight to the theater as soon as it was released in my country.
Pierce was the funnest part of the film, hey, at least everything goes by pretty quickly, it's very fast paced. Hope you enjoy it when you get to see it. It might be derivative, but the fun factor is definetly there.
District B13 was a lot of fun, it had a lot of action, way more than this one did. I'm looking forward to similar film called 'The Raid' it also seems to have tons of action and fights. Have you seen that one?
I haven't see THE RAID yet but I've heard a lot of positive buzz about it that has me intrigued.
I was interested until now my friend. Thanks for watching it so I don't have to. : ) SFF
I was interested too TSFF, I went in there pumped. I got exactly the kind of movie I was expecting, dumb, quick, and pointless; you just get the feeling that none of the actors are taking the film too seriously. It's not a horrible film, it's just the kind of movie you're better of watching on DVD.
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