I was with "Lockout" up to a point. It's a dumb movie, but it offers some mindless sci-fi action and a winning performance by Guy Pearce, who may just be the most versatile actor alive. He plays an ex-CIA agent in a near-future version of the U.S. who's sent to rescue the President's daughter (Maggie Grace) from mayhem on an experimental space prison when all of the convicts escape and take over the facility. The film establishes early on that it's not going to take itself very seriously, and Pearce, beefed up (this guy looks awesome!) and grizzled out, sets the tone nicely with his acerbic one-liners. Everything is far out and completely unbelievable, but suspending disbelief is par for the course with sci-fi, so I could forgive a lot. But then the film's ending goes completely haywire and the stunt the filmmakers use to get Pearce and Grace back down to Earth and safety stretches the limits of credibility past the snapping point, making an already dumb movie too dumb to tolerate. The writing and direction in about 30 seconds manages to undo all of the goodwill the preceding hour and a half of the film had built up with its audience.
As if that weren't bad enough, the film keeps going, long past the point where it feels like it should have ended. I won't go as far as to say it's not worth seeing if you're in the mood for some mindless brain freeze, but just be prepared for one of the most jaw-droppingly dumb climaxes you've ever seen in a movie.
Grade: C+
As if that weren't bad enough, the film keeps going, long past the point where it feels like it should have ended. I won't go as far as to say it's not worth seeing if you're in the mood for some mindless brain freeze, but just be prepared for one of the most jaw-droppingly dumb climaxes you've ever seen in a movie.
Grade: C+