Hardcore Henry

I was definitely already a fan of the Biting Elbows music video that gave rise, but was unprepared for the roller coaster of awesome that doesn't let up for 90 minutes. I don't know if it was the 98 foot Frank's FDX screen or just a more attached rig, but some of the action was shaky and a little hard to follow, especially when Henry would get moved or tossed around. Without a sense of motion, you can lose your bearings. Being an avid FPS gamer will really help here. I'd recommend not filling your vision to the periphery with the screen (like the front 1/3rd point, where I sat) and choose a middle screen height position, which will make it more like a computer monitor experience. That said, I still found it easier to follow then the hand to hand combat in the early Bourne films, and more enjoyable. The audio is a blast with a good system, so don't wait until it gets to the crappy 30 seat theaters with the turned down speakers the megaplexes seem to tuck away in unused corners.

Sharlto Copley is extremely fun to watch in this film and did a great job not being the same character in District 9, and Elysium, proving far far from it (not a fan of Chappie, but he did well in that too).

There are so many oo, ahh, wow, and shock moments in this film. I really want to see a sequel and would definitely be happy to help fund it if they go that route again.

I think I will be seeing this again.

tldr: if you grew up with or are a fan of FPS games, this movie is amazingly fun.

Half human and half machine, Henry wakes only to witness the kidnapping of his wife Estelle, by a group of mercenaries. From this moment onward Henry searches and fights for Estelle with every ounce of energy he possesses. He kills and risks being killed himself, by every weapon imaginable. The viewer, through the use of a special camera attached to someone's head, is about as face to face with the violence as anyone can get. Each move that is made by Henry is followed by the viewer. Every throat that is cut seems as if it is done by our own hands. We figure out what is happening only in so much as Henry does, for both viewer and character are in the same shoes. The film is kinetic, bloody and non-stop action. While worn down by the shaky camera work and bad acting, I also appreciated all the zany twists, gore, rawness and laughs to the story. Ann of Green Gables and Little House on the Prairie the film is not, and this is usually a good thing. Seen at the Toronto International Film Festival 2015.

'Hardcore' is the riveting story of a newly-made cyborg who must save his wife from evil tyrants and...wait a minute. Who cares?? The whole movie is a blast!!

Ilya Naishuller is a young director who had a very cool idea to shoot an action film from a first-person perspective using a GoPro Hero3 Black Edition camera. The proof of concept was released as "Biting Elbows: Bad Motherf***er". It was pitched publicly and helped to successfully crowd-fund the feature, 'Hardcore'.

It's better to keep this short and sweet: the film is extraordinarily violent; not for the squeamish. It has plenty of action, free-running, stunts, and plenty of room for comedic elements. Even the opening titles give you a taste of what's to come!

Sharlto Copley (District 9, and other Neill Blomkamp projects) plays the main POV's assistant throughout the film. Copley definitely gives a range of character performances and is quality. Wearing many hats, he guides you along as if you were needing assistance in a video game, which, by the way, this film makes several references to. In particular, the Chernobyl level in Call of Duty 4 with Capt. MacMillian. Even the opening scenes are reminiscent of Half-Life, and a lot of the free-running scenes are inspired by Mirror's Edge.

For those who are wondering, no. You likely won't get dizzy watching a 90-minute action film from an FP perspective. Well, maybe you shouldn't sit in the front row. Otherwise, you will have a blast.

'Hardcore' is an all-around fun time. Just be okay with the violence. It's only 90 minutes of your time that you'll likely want to experience over and over again. Or, you'll just want to plug in a play a few games.

Either way, it's bloody fun!

Wow, seeing some of these reviews really made me laugh. "Generic, it's the exact same thing as if you were playing a FPS game!" Maybe those who are saying those things saw a different trailer than me? This movie is exactly what it was promoted to be. An hour and thirty six minutes of a lot of violence, jokes, and well, shakiness. Within the first 30 minutes of the movie, many people walked out murmuring to themselves "this is stupid, my head hurts" and I really questioned why they even bought a ticket in the first place if watching a shaky camera hurts your head? Why did a group of middle aged women go see this, and leave shortly after? DID YOU STUMBLE UPON THE WRONG MOVIE?

Besides my little rant, I most definitely recommend this movie. I am not a major fan of FPS games, but having the entire movie filmed with Go Pro's, along with the great action made this a very fun and enjoyable movie. It doesn't take itself seriously, as it knows exactly what it is. As much as I hate when people say this, it is one of those movies where you really can turn your brain off and enjoy it.

I smiled throughout the entire movie, and though the trailers show some really cool shots from the movie, there is still plenty of fun in the movie to where you really do not get bored one bit. The park-our scenes are truly something else as well, with major respect to the stunt- men who did their job perfectly. The music choice was also something that I truly enjoyed, it fit the movie very well. The acting, while little of it, was passable and did not really strike me as "bad."

If you are a person who can't stand something like the Bourne movies for their shaky cam, do not see this. If you love action movies and really want to admire great fight scenes and plenty of mayhem, go see this.

And for those saying the idea is not original, yes, movies shot in first person are not original. But for an action movie of this caliber, I would say it is an experience that is definitely worth it.

Crazy, action packed and also quite humorous... if you like video games you'll love this film...