Review of Jolt (2021) by Ax- — 23 Jul 2021

Jolt, released in 2021 as an Amazon Original, stars Kate Beckinsale as a fem fatale with anger management issues. I feel that this movie could have been a 10/10 if it were not for some writing issues. Just so you know, this review was produced with my wife's approval, so please don't take this the wrong way when I say that the film is riddled with misogyny references, bad jokes and cheesy, cliché plot lines.

The Good: Kate Beckinsale (Underworld, 2003) and Stanley Tucci (The Hunger Games, 2012) do a phenomenal job at portraying their characters. However, their combined AAA stardom eclipses the rather lackluster performance of most of the rest of the cast. This is the problem with hiring Triple-A Hollywood stars and pitting them in roles alongside TV actors.

The Writing: This is where the movie can be hit or miss for many people. In my case, I *mostly* enjoyed the movie. If you can stand the misogyny jokes and some poor performances, then you will enjoy this movie. It was not horrible, and in fact the writing has some brilliant moments that make you feel at awe. However, it is clear that this is writer Scott Wascha's first film. At some points it seems that he is trying too hard to make the audience laugh. On one particular scene babies are involved and it is meant to be funny, but is actually kind of dumb. Some viewers may find it funny, though so I won't knock off too many points for that scene. Unfortunately, there is just enough to hate about the writing as there is to love, and so it cancels out in the end.

Overall: If it were not for Beckinsale and Tucci's performance, the movie would fall flat on its back. Overall, Jolt delivers just enough electric volts to keep you entertained for one viewing, but is ultimately not worth watching again. My advice is to watch it once for a good time, and then forget about it.