Review of Central Intelligence (2016) by Crimsoncritic — 19 Jun 2018

What makes Central Intelligence such a comedic package of joy to watch is the synergy between Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart; these two have got to be one of the greatest comedic duos in cinema. They work off each other so well, it almost seems like they're improvising the script and just having a conversation on set.

That's how well these two actors mix. And speaking of the script, this movie is hilarious! Even ignoring how amazingly the two leads naturally work together, the writers of this movie really knew what they were doing in terms of comedic writing.

For one, the personalities given to the lead characters is a very clever setup; to have one calmly treating the suspenseful scenario of the current situation like a mundane task and to have the other be frantically nervous trying to process it all.

And these expertly chosen archetypes connect to another one of the movie's strengths. Technically, this movie can be referred to as a buddy-cop movie; which as a cliché has been done many times. But what sets Central Intelligence apart is (again) the talented lead actors.

But also the way the two aforementioned character archetypes blend in the buddy-cop scenario; the scale of absurdity and chaos it all reaches is amazing. However, the movie sadly falls short in it's plot.

The stakes of the conflict are never really explained and it's also very predictable. And given how this movie orbits around it's plot and conflict, it loses a significant amount of points. But bottom line, If you're looking for a complex, interesting, and suspenseful plot, you won't get it here, but if have low expectations and are just looking for something to laugh at, Central Intelligence will deliver.