The Mother

I don't know why but, since a decade now, and more than fifteen years after Luc Besson's NIKITA, back in 1990, no one can deny that there legions, batches of action flicks showing female fighters, fist, gun fighters. Women playing men's roles. Of course this kind of scheme was common in the American Indie industry during the seventies, remember the Grindhouse movies, destined for drive in audiences, Grindhouse or psychotronic, exploitation features taking advantage to the women's liberation movements that spread all over the country and even beyond.... Hollywood could not affaord to approve, so the independant movies did it instead. And also women's prison movies. It stopped during the eighties, for one decade, then it came back for a short while before appearing again since the 2010s and especially since the Harvey Weinstein affair and the feminist fashion that rapidly followed,spreading all over the world. Only now, the quality is a bit better, with once in a while a prestigious cast; here Jenny Lopez or a couple of years ago Jessica Chastain - AVA.... This movie is surprise less but efficient, a excellent time waster despite an expected ending.

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

"The Mother" attempts to deliver a fast-paced action experience, but unfortunately, it falls short of bringing anything new to the table. While the film does showcase some well-shot and engaging action sequences at the beginning, it fails to deliver in terms of character development and emotional depth.

From the start, it becomes apparent that "The Mother" prioritizes action over substance. While the action sequences may be visually appealing, they lack originality and fail to offer any fresh ideas or innovative choreography. The film becomes a predictable series of adrenaline-fueled moments, with little to surprise or captivate the audience.

One of the major shortcomings of "The Mother" is the lack of character development. The characters feel one-dimensional and fail to evoke any real emotional connection from the audience. The film misses an opportunity to explore the complex relationships, internal conflicts, and personal growth that could have added depth to the story. By neglecting these elements, the film becomes superficial, leaving viewers with a sense of disappointment.

Furthermore, the final fight scene is marred by a questionable decision made by the villain. It feels contrived and unrealistic when the antagonist fails to take an easy shot, expecting a moment of vulnerability from the protagonist. This lapse in logic takes away from the overall credibility of the film and leaves the audience scratching their heads.

Overall, "The Mother" falls into the realm of mediocrity. While it starts off with well-executed action sequences, it fails to offer anything substantial in terms of storytelling or character development. The lack of emotional depth and conflict limits the film's potential to truly engage and resonate with the audience.

"The Mother" may provide some fleeting entertainment for action enthusiasts who are solely seeking adrenaline-pumping sequences. However, for those looking for a more compelling and thought-provoking cinematic experience, this film may leave them feeling disappointed and unsatisfied.

It seems like every six months we get a regurgitated Netflix "original " film with a seasoned empowered female actress fighting off perpetrators. It's everything you've seen before. Can't imagine even the demographic it's aimed at will find anything new to enjoy about this. Netflix continues to dumb down its "original" content . At least conceive some kind of a ambitious script or do something. They literally think they can just put an actress In a C level John Wick rip off script and it will work out every time. At this point I don't think JLo star power is enough to overcome this blatant cliché offering.

After I've seen the documentary Halftime (2022), Jennifer Lopez can film whatever generic movie she might imagine and I'll give her credit for that. In fact, after watching Halftime I've seen Gigli (2003) and found it not bad as everyone is trying to convince you-

Is The Mother a bad movie? No. Is it generic? Yes, so what. I've seen a lot of trash getting rave reviews and ratings on this website. In this sense, The Mother is not very different from any contemporary action movie.

At the same time there are some genuine emotional moments, in particular everything surrounding the character played by Jenifer Lopez and her daughter. This alone is more than most of contemporary action movies offer. If in doubt about my observations, please watch anything from John Wick franchise and tell me it isn't trash.

I Wouldn't have been surprised if Steven Segal just showed up and did a sit down flight scene with J-Lo.

It didnt take me long to realise the kind of film I was watching, and truthfully I only made it past the first act. Some scenes were straight up rip offs of other Hollywood films that did the same sequences much better. J-Lo got very annoying very quickly with her "Im a badass boss" attitude that didnt waiver long enough for me to get to know any other traits of her character. One straight face monotonous performance that got very cold very fast.

Netflix is smart, because they dont care about reviews, they know for a fact people are going to click on this film because its a click away, they know they will prolly make some money from this barely passable film.