Certainly lively, and perhaps on the big screen with a packed theater of energy, it might have lived up to it theoretical bombast and enjoyment. Though we get pulse-pounding faire, its bounds were too astronomical and its drama thoroughly grounded.
It is crazy, but maybe one expected or needed juuust a bit crazier to explode, rather than lightly pop like a gum bubble. It keeps its fun, but it is also a victim of the trailer, with almost all the spectacle moments highlighted and whittled away there. Why can’t we keep some joy hidden until I hit the play button?
There is an insane blend of the bizarre, spycraft, romance, ballistic action, and toppers. The pieces are ramshackley incongruous and seemingly cobbled together for explosive titillation, not logic. It swats at dramatic premises and plot difficulties like flies buzzing around a corpse. Key pieces of this story are there to propel the film forward while others are oddly just window dressing. Interesting creature design and implementation, but it is also just for the narrative. It makes no sense, especially it’s NEED for retrieving the package. Much of the movie follows along these lines. It’s a smash’em’up of plot devices and stirring story ornaments, which provides some attraction but loses its luster with their vacuity.
It does provide some surprises that I wasn't expecting and went for a melodramatic & socially conscious tone. Shadow gives us our first real super heroine of 2021. She can do and overcome anything, which pushes the limits of credibility, but the entire flick is falling on the ludicrous side of the fun plane. Our protagonist’s goals are righteous without being preachy, her social conscience modern but not anachronistic, and the objective fairly wholesome despite it all. The final shot is fiercely feminine, but with the obligatory burning of the “sultry good girl pinup” in favor of a bloodied, baggy clothes breastfeeding mother, it was compelling & redefining. Heavy handed but it might penetrate the thick skulls of the intended fun-loving audience.
Maybe it really would have been something 60 feet wide with some booze and a raucous rabble, but I just didn’t get the thrill i was hoping for as returns diminished over the course.
Note: This was written by Max Landis, which shows and leaves a sour taste. Feels like he was pushing hard against his rep, but that doesn’t erase anything.