Netflix action off Extraction vs Project Power vs Old Guard

 

Extraction (15)

Dir. Sam Hargrave

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@Cleric20)

"The best thing you can do is go put a bullet in his brain, make it painless. Because the animals out there are not going to be as kind to him."

Step this way for some heavy-duty shoot-em-up action.Sam 'might have seen me doing stunts n stuff on Avengers' Hargrave’s action-packed Extraction is a non-stop thrill ride. For two hours straight you'll be whisked from car chase to shoot out and back again as super merc Chris Hemsworth who plays Tyler Rake kills hundreds of baddies in his quest to save one young boy.

In a nice and simple plot - all Rake has to do is rescue and extract  a high powered drug lord’s son from a rival drug lord’s kidnapping - oh and shoot pretty much everyone he meets in the face along the way for good measure. Being shot in Bangladesh, this has a fun Bollywood feel at points as it delivers more action and male bonding than is safe for most people.

The extraction target Ovi (Rudhraksh Jaiswal), gets into all sorts of life-threatening jeopardy as he and Rake journey across Dhaka under intense gunfire for most of the time. Will hardened Rake be moved to sacrifice his life for the boy despite the fact that he will no longer receive payment for the mission? If you bet 'not' then you won't be surprised that a sequel has been greenlit. Great gung-ho fun!

Out of a potential 5 - you have to go with a Darkmatters:

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(4 - Shoot everyone and let God sort them out..)

Project Power (15)

Dir. Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@Cleric20)

"They say there are no shortcuts in life. They say nothing is free. But I’m telling you right now, the deal I’m going to give you is the closest thing to free you’ll ever get."

Not content with one new superhero flick - see next review of The Old Guard - Netflix has dropped another new super-em-up. This one 'Project Power' stars the uber-cool Jamie Foxx and always great Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The premise is of a new drug that gives users a super-power but for just 5 mins - and that gives the directors licence to have people explode, hulk-out, flame-on, go invisible, super strength and more... it's a fun single dose movie that should make super-fans happy! 

Project Power might not be a classic like The Dark Knight but it's an adrenaline-packed adventure that cracks along at a breathtaking pace and looks cool whilst bring the super carnage to the screen. I'd certainly be keen to see this become a franchise!

Out of a potential 5 - you have to go with a Darkmatters:

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(3.5 - With great power comes 5 mins of great responsibility...)

The Old Guard (15)

Dir. Gina Prince-Bythewood

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@Cleric20)

"I’ve been here before. Over and over again and each time the same question, is this it? Will this time be the one?"

This is a different kind of superhero movie. Well, I say different but it sure feels like a suped-up rehash of Highlander - even though it's based on the acclaimed comics from Greg Rucka. Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood - the action follows a group of near-immortal warriors who have worked for centuries to fight for the betterment of humanity. 

 

There can be only one... 

So this super-assassin group led by Andy (played by Charlize Theron who doesn't even seem to age in real life, let alone in the movies but plays a cool ancient warrior) - she has to deal with a new younger Immortal who they want to sign up to the team. But Nile (Kiki Layne), is a headstrong free-wheeler and might not want to save the world (spoiler - she probably will though)...

Fun, action-packed but ever so slightly 'meh' despite the incredible Theron who can do no wrong in my book).

Out of a potential 5 - you have to go with a Darkmatters:

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(3 - Being alive forever isn't necessarily a perk...)

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