A Mãe

This film is essentially a 2023 remake of Arnold Schwarzenegger's Commando movie with a women protagonist, and instead of tropical island scenes it takes place in Alaska. It has the same cheesy and over the top cliches, but without the self-awareness that it's such. Jennifer Lopez is good enough in the role of an action hero type, but the story, script, and filmography are disjointed and convoluted. The major problem is it has the absurdly unrealistic aspects of a shoot-em-up movie (laughably impossible feats, innumerable henchmen taken out with ease, and a scar-faced antagonist) while trying to be a serious action/drama film. It would have been better if they had chosen one or the other.

Right, an action thriller starring Jennifer Lopez, I can't really claim that I was particularly harboring much of any grand expectations to the movie as I stumbled upon it on Netflix. In fact, I had actually never heard about the movie prior to sitting down to watch it.

The synopsis for the movie seemed fair enough, and I will say that writers Misha Green, Andrea Berloff and Peter Craig put together a fair enough script and storyline for the movie. It wasn't exactly a story that brought much innovation with it, but I will say that "The Mother" was sufficiently entertaining for a single viewing. And it should be noted that the storyline was actually somewhat cliché and generic, which made it rather predictable.

The pacing of the narrative throughout the 115 minutes that the movie ran for was okay. The movie did feel a bit sluggish at times, and could perhaps have benefitted from a more efficient trim in the editing room.

The acting performances in the movie were fair enough, and Jennifer Lopez actually fared adequately enough in the movie and in this type of genre. So she has the ability to perform outside of romantic comedies. She was joined on the screen by Omari Hardwick and Joseph Fiennes, as the only familiar faces among the cast list for me.

All in all, "The Mother" is a watchable movie, entertaining enough for what it turned out to be. Just don't expect to be in for anything that haven't already been done or seen in the genre before. However, it is a movie that ultimately doesn't have enough meat on it to support more than just a single viewing. And the movie's predictability sort of stole away from both the action and thriller aspects of the script.

My rating of director Niki Caro's 2023 action thriller "The Mother" lands on a five out of ten stars.

The trailer is deceiving.

It led me to think I was gonna watch something to the tune of NOBODY. Instead we get this bad-ass lady (by way of narration by a law enforcement officer as to her past accolades) who does bad ass things early in the movie and suddenly, seemingly it all finished. Then soon audiences are reminded oh wait another bad guy still has his portion to get through.

Plotholes, cliches, mentorship in badassery to her kid that doesn't pay off and just poor writing makes for this incoherent action flick.

Sure Lopez has done some (better) action flicks in the past but this won't be the one she will be remembered by.

Jessica Chastain does a better job, Jennifer Garner, heck even Michelle Rodriguez too at being an onscreen bad-ass chick.

The only badass scene here really is when she rode that HD 48.

Such a dissapointment.

This film demonstrates proficiency, which makes it an acceptable entry into the action genre. However, the film ultimately suffers from the familiar and foreseeable nature of its plot, failing to bring any new or innovative elements to the table.

The film is evident in its predictability, where viewers may anticipate the next plot twist or outcome. The villains, unfortunately, lack depth and development, leaving them feeling underdeveloped and lacking in impact.

While this film may still find favour with fans of Jennifer Lopez, others seeking a truly memorable and groundbreaking action thriller may be left wanting more. Its reliance on established tropes and formulaic storytelling hinders its ability to stand out among the vast array of films within the genre. Ultimately, while it offers some positive elements, it falls short of leaving a lasting impression or pushing the boundaries of the genre.

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.