Bookmark Us
 
|
Home
|
Movie Review: Never Back Down |
|
|
|
|
Saturday, 12 April 2008 |
|
Never Back Down: Dijmon Hounsou, Sean Faris, Amber Heard, Cam Gigandet. Summit Entertainment. Action drama.
 FILM SYNOPSIS: This high testosterone actioneer concerns a moody transfer student who finds himself the focus of interest because of his fighting ways. But he doesn’t want to fight. He just wants to be left alone. But, there’ll be none of that. You see, the school villain and the prettiest girl in the twelfth grade entice him into a fight club, where kids beat each other up for the pleasure of onlookers. It’s loaded with scantily clad teens, lots of jaw-busting brutality and a hint of a message.
I know from talking to youngsters in my church that the high school crowd, like the rest of us, enjoys a film with something to say. I doubt, however, many will attend this effort for its deep meaning. It’s meant to satisfy baser instincts. Teens can view it with the optimistic illusion that if you train your body enough, you too can beat up the school bully. And of course, there are all those bodies in itsy bitsy bikinis.
There’s a scene where the coolest and best built of the class of 2008 have a party. It looks like the Playboy mansion, with not only every chick a stone-cold fox, complete with beer in hand, but with two of them making out for onlookers while they soak in a bubble bath. This decadent scene would have jaw-dropped Caligula. After this same-sex make-out scene, the tour moves to the backyard where a crowd of swimwear-clad teenagers encircle two bloodied combatants. This scene is reminiscent of gladiators vs. the Christians, where the pummeling and humiliating of fellow beings was done for the satisfaction of the crowd. Watching all these teens enjoying the pain and punishment of their fellow classmates, I kept thinking, this isn’t a teen drama, it’s a horror show. The characters portrayed aren’t humans, but rather soulless pod people covered in fetching human-wear.
The filmmaking is poor at best. One of the messages is that there are consequences for our actions. But not in this film. And along with enduring its anemic message, the film is replete with far too many training montages, and we are subjected to a pounding score driven by non-discernable lyrics. The dialogue is enhanced by words like “dude,” the melodramatic acting is masked by buffed bods, the action sequences muddled, and the direction pointless.
Other than that, I really liked it.
PG-13 (a couple of crude sexual comments; the bad guy uses the word “bitch” to describe guys he thought were weak; 10 or so obscenities, with an equal amount of minor expletives; I caught no misuse use of God’s name other than several “oh my Gods;” though the beatings are handled in a way to avoid an R-rating, still the violence is sensory pummeling; lots and lots of martial arts kicks and flips; all the combatants get bloodied, yet scenes later they’ve healed completely; girls kissing, some suggestive sexual activity; couples making out at a party; a playful, but rough sexual encounter between the teen leads; a gay teen flirts with another boy; two scantily clad girls are making out at a party for the benefit of passersby; a couple of suggestive sexual remarks; it is implied that there is underage drinking at a party; argumentative relationship between teen and his mother).
Running Time: 90-some minutes. Intended Audience: Older teens and above
DVD Alternatives: The Quiet Man. Romantic blarney about a retired boxer (John Wayne) returning to the old sod and falling for Maureen O’Hara, despite her brutish brother’s objections. Good fight scene during the finale, but it also has other elements: good storyline, colorful Irish locations, a tender romance and witty dialogue.
Or:
Rocky. Best Picture of 1976, it stars Sly Stallone as an underdog boxer who gets a million-to-one shot at fame and fortune. Okay, it’s a little corny, but it has a lot of heart. And the boxing sequences are incredibly well filmed.
For other free reviews from Phil Boatwright’s perspective, go to: previewonline.org.
(Disclaimer: These are the views of the author and not necessarily the staff of JesusJournal. Given the synopsis and content, concerned parents and moviegoers can decide if the new releases are suitable for viewing.)
|
|
Who's Online
We have 22 guests online
Words To Live By
"Salvation is found in no one else other than Jesus Christ, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." - The Bible: Acts 4:12
|
