Lockout; more slug it out than Knockout
Writer Luc Besson alongside directors James Mather and Stephen St. Ledger bring us the science fiction, action adventure Lockout starring Guy Pearce and Maggie Grace. When the inmates of a space station prison break loose on the day that the president’s daughter is visiting there is only one man to save her; Snow. Snow, the lovable rogue of course has his own agenda on why he’s willing to go.
The general plot is both shallow and lacklustre. The entire plot is basically the one scene from Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope in which Luke Skywalker and co board the Death Star to save princess Leia in a far more elaborate and lengthened narrative. In fact Guy Pearce’s character is a futuristic version of Harrison Ford’s Han Solo and Maggie Grace is practically Carrie Fisher’s Princess Leia just without the buns. The film does a good job at filling in any plot holes even throwing in a twist here and there.
Guy Pearce stars as former government agent Snow in a believable effort. Both witty and humorous, Snow is an action hero to root for. Meanwhile Maggie Grace plays confident and intelligent Emilie Warnock who is full of snappy remarks. It’s perhaps the characters more vulnerable side that Grace does a greater job at portraying, a decent performance never the less. There are also a handful of others actors involved. Vincent Regan plays head of the inmate outrage; Alex. Lennie James portrays secret service agent Harry Shaw and Peter Stormare plays chief of secret service Scott Langral. All three give decent performances with what little they are given to work with. Perhaps the most entertaining performance is Joseph Gilgun’s lunatic Hydell. Gilgun is most notable for his roles as Woody in This is England and most recently Rudy in Misfits. Gilgun’s portrayal of the deranged lunatic is entertaining but perhaps more laughable than fearful. While there aren’t any groundbreaking performances; it’s an all around decent job by all actors involved.
‘The two lead characters are full of witty remarks and snarly comments that have the audience sniggering…’
The only real identification (aside from the obviously stated dated on the screen) that the film is set in the future is the inclusion of spaceships. Everything else, from clothes to locations to weapons is very much from our modern society. It’s a real shame as one of the fun factors science fiction films present are the outrageous differences the creators come up with, a missed opportunity but likely due to budget restraints.
Due to the science fiction nature of the film there is a handful of CGI needed. Regrettably the CGI is poor; most noticeable when explosions are needed. One particular scene that features a terribly shot and edited, CGI vehicle chase looks like it could have been far better executed by video games. Even the frequent use of J.J Abrams lens glare technique can’t distract the audience’s attention away from the awful CGI.
However, for what Lockout is, it really isn’t that bad. It’s a sit back carelessly and watch film that is regrettably forgettable. The two lead characters are full of witty remarks and snarly comments that have the audience sniggering and entertained. It’s Lockout’s failure to secure an exciting plot and characters worth investing in backed by poor CGI execution that make the film unfavourable. It is although worth a watch for action and science fiction fans as it’s not too often science fiction films get released.
Popcorn & Soda Rating: 3/5
Did Lockout have you entertained?
