Not a bad movie. In fact better than some of the huge budget offerings intended for cinema, lately.
Don't get me wrong, it's got all the usual clichés. A heroic scientist, tough American soldiers who don't take no s___ and distrust heroic scientists, and the tough female agent. It's also got it's plot holes and as is often the case with this genre, the heroes always manage to be stood in the right place to not get killed, while "nameless soldier" gets it! They also love a montage, where incredible weapons and sciency stuff can be created in only a few hours! But I could forgive all this, because it was fun to watch and didn't feel like a chore at any point.
Sure, it won't fire your brain cells to their full extent, but like I said, it has nice touches and a very nice feel, visually. It is reminiscent of recent computer games, such as Gears of War or Titanfall, leading me to believe the creators may be gaming fans. They do get that feel right however. I'd even go as far as to say, give Paul W S Anderson (a staple game/movie director) his WELL deserved marching orders and let this team handle the next game to movie conversion. They seem to understand the look well.
It also borrows from previous action/sci-fi movies at some stages. I got a feel of Aliens at one point, and the overall story is VERY reminiscent of Final Fantasy The Spirits Within. There are lot's of little touches throughout, that made me feel I'd been here before, but they never went to the 'ripping off' point, but more a nostalgic tip of the hat to previous sci-fi.
The acting is all solid, aside from moments where the characters don't seem quite troubled enough, considering they may be snuffed out by an invisible force at any moment, but that is often the case with these movies, due to the short amount of time they have to set the scene, develop characters and tell the story, but aside from this, everyone is likable, if a little two dimensional overall. I think this is why serialised tories are taking off so much in recent years.
The visual effects are also very nice and miles better than I expected for a straight to Netflix movie. I can't recall any moment where I cringed at the effects. The war-torn sets were also nicely done.
Don't go in expecting some sci-fi epic that will change your world view. Go in expecting a bit of fun, with some nice effects and a simple story. Not a bad way to spend an hour and forty eight minutes, if you like sci-fi.
