With such a focus on originality today, many filmmakers feel pressured to go out and find the next big thing. Unfortunately, the POV first person camera may be the next big fad in Hollywood, and that's not good. Hardcore Henry is very original, but has no real story, and contains a lot of nauseating camera work. The biggest problem, is us, we've encouraged things like this film to happen, and now we have it.
Today's critics seem to latch onto one critique more than any other, and that is the originality argument. Many people will tell you no film today is really original, but then a film like this comes along. Shot like a video game this film is original in both look and narrative, however, the focus on creating this video game like look lead to a weak storyline. It seems sad that our generation just craves things that are original, so much so that when we get it, we don't care about quality.
The greatest flaw of the film is the narrative, or serious lack thereof. Many, if not all, characters are grossly underdeveloped, especially the villain who is goofy and weak. The story is more of a incoherent assembly of scenes, that does little more than further the confusion. It seems that from the outset, Hardcore Henry was always about the POV feel and look. It is ironic, because the film is plot less, and the action doesn't really look good either.
The gimmick of this film is for the audience to feel like they are in the shoes of the main character. The problem is the main character bobs and weaves so much the film is more on a nauseating set of fight scenes. On top of the terribly shaky action sequences, where very little is visible, the film is poorly edited, furthering the confusing story by jumping around randomly. On top of that, the way the characters and story are presented, time in the film is totally jumbled, and nothing seems to make sense until the end of the film, at which time it's too late.
In conclusion Hardcore Henry, is an all-out attack on it's viewers senses, as they are put through a non stop set of nauseating action sequences. The film has no real story, and throws characters in and out of the film, creating a confusing mess of a story. So yes the film is original, but that doesn't make it good or worth watching, because there's a gross lack of craft in this film. I suggest you don't watch this film because the only selling point is the new POV shooting style, which alone is not enough to make a good movie.
Today's critics seem to latch onto one critique more than any other, and that is the originality argument. Many people will tell you no film today is really original, but then a film like this comes along. Shot like a video game this film is original in both look and narrative, however, the focus on creating this video game like look lead to a weak storyline. It seems sad that our generation just craves things that are original, so much so that when we get it, we don't care about quality.
The greatest flaw of the film is the narrative, or serious lack thereof. Many, if not all, characters are grossly underdeveloped, especially the villain who is goofy and weak. The story is more of a incoherent assembly of scenes, that does little more than further the confusion. It seems that from the outset, Hardcore Henry was always about the POV feel and look. It is ironic, because the film is plot less, and the action doesn't really look good either.
The gimmick of this film is for the audience to feel like they are in the shoes of the main character. The problem is the main character bobs and weaves so much the film is more on a nauseating set of fight scenes. On top of the terribly shaky action sequences, where very little is visible, the film is poorly edited, furthering the confusing story by jumping around randomly. On top of that, the way the characters and story are presented, time in the film is totally jumbled, and nothing seems to make sense until the end of the film, at which time it's too late.
In conclusion Hardcore Henry, is an all-out attack on it's viewers senses, as they are put through a non stop set of nauseating action sequences. The film has no real story, and throws characters in and out of the film, creating a confusing mess of a story. So yes the film is original, but that doesn't make it good or worth watching, because there's a gross lack of craft in this film. I suggest you don't watch this film because the only selling point is the new POV shooting style, which alone is not enough to make a good movie.