Review of The Raid 2 (2014) by Ben T — 12 Feb 2015
The more I think about this movie, the less I like it. Is it a bad movie per say, not really? But it is one of the most disappointing movies I have had the displeasure of experiencing.
Where the original Raid used its budgetary constraints to create a lean, mean, linear fighting machine, the Raid 2 indulges.
It indulges in its violence, where the original was restrained in its gore. The action is bar none, but it gets repetitive and frankly most of it never forwards the plot.
It indulges in its ridiculously convoluted plot, where the original was minimalist in its narrative. Entire sub-plots could have been cut, whole action sequences could have been taken out, and the movie would have been better for it.
The antagonists have nothing on Tama and Mad Dog. The plot is too contrived to make them effective 'villains' and not just another punching bag for Rama to knock out.
Rama himself is done a massive disservice in this movie, sidelined on one hand and made an unstoppable force on the other, turning a once interesting character into a boring cliche.
In the end, The Raid 2 suffers the near fatal flaw of sequelities. While no one can truly match Gareth Evans' action choreography, he made the mistake many up and coming film makers make, fixing what was never broken.
The first ten minutes of this movie made it clear he thought he could...he was mistaken, and it showed.
This review of The Raid 2 (2014) was written by Ben T on 12 Feb 2015.
The Raid 2 has generally received very positive reviews.
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