Frak the critics. I really enjoyed Survivor, which released to theatres yesterday. Or not. The official reviews are dated May 28 or 29, 2015, but I can’t find the movie playing on the big screen anywhere locally. I streamed from Google Play, which has the film for rental or purchase, last evning.
I didn’t read reviews until after watching the flick and seeing something shocking: Rotten Tomatoes 0 percent. Yes, Yes, the action thriller is overly predictable. But sometimes you sit down to eat fine steak and wine, while other times glutton down s`mores and ice cream. Burp. Pass the Bud, Bud. Survivor is a junk food feast along the lines of Taken—which got two sequels!
There’s Milla Jovovich doing the fast-fighting pace you expect from her, but in every-woman style aka Jimmy Stewart in any of his Alfred Hitchcock-directed films. Pierce Brosnan is cool like you would want from his James Bond days, but cast against that type as the icy, calculating villain. There’s something seemingly deliberate about casting these two actors as the protagonists, in the way they play off the roles they’re known for—and against them. Dylan McDermott is true to form, looking better than he acts. He doesn’t disappoint!
Survivor is not fine cinema and doesn’t pretend to be. This is the movie for which you gather friends around the big screen and Chromecast. You holler during the action. Laugh together when plot twists are a bit too absurd. You root for the heroine who is sure to prevail. “How will she?” is the unknown. Survivor is more believable that any Jack Bauer thriller but edited to a manageable 96 minutes.
I watched part of the trailer before making my selection. Don’t bother with the trailer. Don’t spoil anything. Just gather up the gang, chip intogether for the rental, and enjoy. Or you could wait for the Netflix premiere, which can’t be far off. Whichever, don’t watch alone. Survivor is a friend funfest for action, pace, and laughable plot twists. “Hey, someone pass the Devil Dogs and Fritos!”