Summer must be coming around soon, as here come the popcorn blockbusters! Although
"Lockout" still might be a little bit "lightweight" to be considered a box office hit, in spite of the explosive and spectacular action sequences and a couple of familiar fresh faces. "Lockout", based on an original concept idea by the mighty respectable Luc Besson, initially feels overwhelming and imposing, but it's actually one of the most derivative action thrillers you'll ever see. The plot borrow its main story lines and characterizations from a series of world famous as well as lesser known Sci-Fi classics/gems. The setting of a (supposedly) inescapable maximum security prison floating around in space comes from the early 90's cult favorite "Fortress", the premise of a noble convict sent in to try and evacuate a presidential relative naturally comes from John Carpenter's legendary Sci-Fi monument "Escape from New York" and Guy Pearce's character Snow fires off as many witty one-liners as Bruce Willis did in all of the "Die Hard" movies combined. The year is 2079 and Pearce depicts an elite secret agent wrongfully accused of espionage and murder, but the only evidence that can set him free has gone missing. Snow is about to be sent to MS-1, a super hi-tech penitentiary in space, when all of a sudden riots break out. Snow is nonetheless sent to MS-1; not as a prisoner but as the last hope to bring back the president's daughter Emilie, who was there to investigate the effects of brain stagnation and accidentally caused the prison disorder. "Lockout" is definitely amusing while it lasts, but it's unmemorable and occasionally even too preposterous for its own good. The structure of the film is logical and most of the key sequences are easy to predict, but at least it's fun to behold the excessive violence and some of the over-the-top performances, like Guy Pearce and particularly the prototypical British scumbag Joseph Gilgun as the indescribably psychotic and maniacal inmate Hydell. The CGI-effects are surprisingly inane and laughable. There's one scene in particular that is quite terrible, namely near the beginning when Snow tries to escape from a crime scene on a motorcycle seemingly borrowed from "Minority Report". That sequence actually looks as if you're watching a video game. Premiered at the annual Belgian Festival of Fantastic Films.
