Rating - 4.6:
Overall, a bad action movie that just feels like a cash grab with no personality because the movie fails to provide any stakes on why the conflict is important; while I do commend the movie for showing autistic characters and hiring neurodivergent actors, I feel like we can move past autistic characters being this "savant-like" stereotype because it has been overblown in Hollywood at this point and fails to provide any nuance to the disorder.
Direction - Bad:
The direction on a macroscale has no personality and is very bland, but the action sequences are decently executed; the direction on a microscale is dull and bland; the storytelling is simple and unoriginal; they build tension poorly
Story - Bad:
The concept feels like a cast grab because there is almost no plot whatsoever; the plot structure is bad because the movie chases after a plot that has no stakes; the character writing is somewhat sad because it still treats autism in this "Sevant-like" stereotype often seen in movies without providing any nuance, but I did think it did a good job showing awareness; the character writing for the remaining cast is basically nonexistent
Screenplay - Bad:
The dialogue is dull and boring; the humor is pretty forced but hits sometimes; the symbolism is pretty shallow; the foreshadowing is very obvious
Acting - Pretty Bad:
Ben Affleck - Decent (Plays a neurodivergent character decently well and has command of the scenes he is in; he has pretty good chemistry with Bernthal and the academy), Jon Bernthal - Decent (He plays a tough-guy role we are used to from him and commands the scenes he is in; he has pretty good chemistry with Affleck), Cynthia Addai-Robinson - Pretty Bad (Just a stereotypical female supporting character you would see in a male-driven action movie), Daniella Pineda - Bad (Your typical nonverbal action assassin who is just there for looks and action sequences), J. K. Simmons - Decent (Basically a cameo), Rest of the cast - Pretty Bad (Tale of two casts: the neurodivergent cast members actually do a very good job portraying their characters and helping move the story forward in their roles, but the remaining cast is just your stereotypical bad action supporting characters)
Score - Pretty Bad:
Very bland
Cinematography - Pretty Bad:
Very bland and has no personality
Editing - Pretty Bad:
Very bland and it has no personality
Sound - Decent:
About as good as you're going to get for a bad action movie
Visual Effects - Decent:
Helps make the action sequences somewhat entertaining
Pacing - Pacing is very fast, considering they never actually lay out what the conflict is and why it is important
Climax - Climax is entertaining, but fails to provide any stakes as to why the conflict is important
Tone - Tone is what you would expect from a cash-grab action-thriller sequel
Final Notes - Saw the world premiere at SXSW; while I do commend this movie for showing autistic characters and hiring neurodivergent actors to be a part of the academy, I feel like we can move past autistic characters always being this "savant-like" stereotype because that is something I would expect from the 80s and 90s.
