Review of Mechanic: Resurrection (2016) by Thequietgamer — 27 Jan 2017

A cliché plot doesn't always mean death for an action movie. As long as the star, stunts, and fights are up to snuff then viewers can still find themselves having a good time. While the movie provides some thrilling moments, Statham's Mechanic sequel ultimately falls short thanks to a strange focus on acting and storytelling. Both of which aren't handled very well.

Despite his pedigree, Statham isn't unfamiliar with more story-driven action flicks. Take Homefront for example, which did a pretty great job of juggling both character-driven writing and the star's remarkable physicality. Here though the amount of predictability is just painful. The emphasis on the romance between Statham and Abla is where this is most notable. It's also punctuated by awful dialog and the fact that Abla just can't act. The action is mostly solid though. When things finally get going it's almost enough to make you forget about how bad everything else is. It's even quite fun at times. The hits themselves Statham is forced to pull of are quite exciting and inventive. Near the end it starts to rely on formulaic shoot outs, but at least that's better than the writing. Plus you're treated to some gorgeous scenery. Of course even that gets hurt by some bad green screen and CGI work here and there. There are times where you can clearly see the budget restraints. The direction also seems a tad amateurish. Did we really need those lengthy fade to blacks before the next scene? At times though this is actually a strength. It (unintentionally) harkens back to those cheesy action hits of the 80's. When it comes to action movies there are plenty of better alternatives out there. However there are also plenty of worse ones as well. But why waste your time with something so middling? Ultimately this just serves as a reminder of why Statham isn't exactly as big of a name as he could be. He's got the presence and skills, but so far he just hasn't had the movies.

5.