Review of 6 Underground (2019) by Thequietgamer — 23 Feb 2020

With their latest attempt to be the first streaming service with a blockbuster action franchise just like the ones you can find on the big screen, Netflix gave $150 million to Michael Bay of Transformers fame (infamy?) and we might have just reached the peak of Bayiness as a result. 6 Underground feels like a comic book written by a bunch of 13 year olds. A group of people fake their own deaths so that they can save the world unburdened by things like laws or politics, but logic is what they really end up escaping.

The premise ends up not making any sense due to some questionable writing decisions. For example, if the billionaire responsible for assembling and leading the team also staged his own demise so that he could join them in the field, then who's funding these globe-trotting missions? There's no explanation given as to how he's able to maintain access to his fortune after being legally declared as deceased, and outside help isn't an option given that the whole movie exists on the concept that nobody knows that they're actually alive.

While the plot doesn't hold up under any sort of scrutiny you can analyze the action sequences down to the tiniest of details and not find a single flaw. As much criticism as they recieve, Bay's films are always meticulously crafted on this front. This is easily his most beautiful and violent work to date. The locales are stunning and his explosions have never looked better. Each setpiece is massive in scale yet every piece of twisted metal and drop of gore was placed there with calculated purpose. Even at it's most chaotic there's a method to the madness that is evident. The only thing to mar these displays are the number of graphic civilian casualties. The team of 6 Underground are going to save the innocents of this world no matter how many of them get in their way, darn it!

Honestly, I think the only thing that could hold this back from achieving its franchise potential is that it's impossible to actually care about any of the characters. Each one feels more like a skill than a real person. We learn why they join the team, but never who they are as people; what makes them tick. Even as charming and hilarious as Ryan Reynolds is it's his character that ends up making the least amount of sense out of all of this.

Still, I'd say at least one sequel is inevitable. It's not for everyone due to its vulgar nature and take-it-at-face-value plot, but those who enjoy high-octane, jaw-dropping action should enjoy 6 Underground for its spectacle as this is Bay's most impressive showing of blood and fire. Proving that as always with his movies the content is questionable, but the skill is undeniable.