I had pretty high hopes going into this, and while I can't say they were quite met I can certainly say that I'm a little sad that it will likely hold a quite weak box office total. I think if this was released earlier or later in the year instead of being put directly in the heat of the summer movie season people would be talking about it a lot more. I've seen people really dig this film and I've seen people that it didn't work for at all. I think I fit right in between, as the film has elements that didn't work for me, but the rest was enough for me to have quite a good time.
This film is set in Los Angeles in the year 2028, amidst large scale riots over the areas diminishing water supply. In this dystopian LA lies a members only hospital for criminals called Hotel Artemis, run by a nurse and her very big friend. This hospital remains running thanks to its rules such as no guns, no cops, and no killing the other patients, but when some of those rules are broken shit hits the fan, and it hits it hard.
I'd say the best thing about this film is its ensemble cast, whom almost all do great work. Jodie Foster plays the nurse, and no matter what quality the film she's in is, Foster is always great and this is no exception. She perfectly portrays her character all the way down to small fidgets and anxieties. This strong performance was pivotal in holding my attention throughout. By Foster's side is Dave Bautista as Everest, her big pal and assistant. This seems like the perfect role for Bautista, giving a more physical performance that emotionally demanding one, and bringing some solid funny moments every now and then. Sterling K Brown plays a robber whose brother needs to be healed at the Artemis, and also does great work. There is one moment that is also in the trailer that comes off a bit too cheesy for me but other than that he impressed me. Sofia Boutella plays a contract killer at the Artemis for a gunshot wound, and holy shit is she great. If Boutella isn't the new female face of the action genre with films like this, Kingsman, The Mummy, and Atomic Blonde, I don't know who is. She gives a very intriguing performance throughout the first two acts which lead to a great action sequence with her at the forefront. The biggest surprise of the film may be Charlie Day who plays an arms dealer. His character isn't overly important to the story, but I found his performance fantastic. It was his usual brand of over the top and quirky but it fit the character incredibly well, and he managed to have moments where he came off as very intimidating which I didn't expect. Jenny Slate plays a cop, she isn't in the film much, and contributes little to the story but her performance is alright. Jeff Goldblum plays the Wolf King, LA's biggest crime lord and the owner of the Artemis. Goldblum is quite good however isn't in the film enough for me. I wish there was more of him, and while that is more a comment on film itself than of just this movie, I think the film could use more of him. His son is played by Zachary Quinto and I'll be honest I forgot he was in the movie for a bit. His performance is alright but his character comes across as just pointless and annoying, contributing little to the film.
Where this film hits its flaws is in how messily told it is. There are pointless subplots galore which if dragged out more could have been interesting but they weren't and detracted from the central story. Some of these include Zachary Quinto's character trying to impress his father, Jodie Foster's son who died of an overdose, Jenny Slate's scenes altogether, and the LA riots. None of these things actually contribute to the film much at all. Luckily other elements of the film made up for those downfalls to me. As I said before the cast was great, as is the world they inhabit. Writer/director Drew Pearce has created an awesome world for his characters, complemented by great set and costume designs. While this film didn't always work I'd love to see more stories told in this dystopia which I'd definitely say is a plus for the film. I also liked the structure of the film a lot, building intrigue throughout the first two acts with the third act taking the shape of a great action movie climax. I loved the action scenes, and while there weren't a ton I think they were used really well.
So this movie is pretty messy, however it has a lot of good stuff going for it and to me it was enough to give a positive rating and recommend people give it a shot.
Rating: 3/5
Written by Matt McKenzie
This film is set in Los Angeles in the year 2028, amidst large scale riots over the areas diminishing water supply. In this dystopian LA lies a members only hospital for criminals called Hotel Artemis, run by a nurse and her very big friend. This hospital remains running thanks to its rules such as no guns, no cops, and no killing the other patients, but when some of those rules are broken shit hits the fan, and it hits it hard.
I'd say the best thing about this film is its ensemble cast, whom almost all do great work. Jodie Foster plays the nurse, and no matter what quality the film she's in is, Foster is always great and this is no exception. She perfectly portrays her character all the way down to small fidgets and anxieties. This strong performance was pivotal in holding my attention throughout. By Foster's side is Dave Bautista as Everest, her big pal and assistant. This seems like the perfect role for Bautista, giving a more physical performance that emotionally demanding one, and bringing some solid funny moments every now and then. Sterling K Brown plays a robber whose brother needs to be healed at the Artemis, and also does great work. There is one moment that is also in the trailer that comes off a bit too cheesy for me but other than that he impressed me. Sofia Boutella plays a contract killer at the Artemis for a gunshot wound, and holy shit is she great. If Boutella isn't the new female face of the action genre with films like this, Kingsman, The Mummy, and Atomic Blonde, I don't know who is. She gives a very intriguing performance throughout the first two acts which lead to a great action sequence with her at the forefront. The biggest surprise of the film may be Charlie Day who plays an arms dealer. His character isn't overly important to the story, but I found his performance fantastic. It was his usual brand of over the top and quirky but it fit the character incredibly well, and he managed to have moments where he came off as very intimidating which I didn't expect. Jenny Slate plays a cop, she isn't in the film much, and contributes little to the story but her performance is alright. Jeff Goldblum plays the Wolf King, LA's biggest crime lord and the owner of the Artemis. Goldblum is quite good however isn't in the film enough for me. I wish there was more of him, and while that is more a comment on film itself than of just this movie, I think the film could use more of him. His son is played by Zachary Quinto and I'll be honest I forgot he was in the movie for a bit. His performance is alright but his character comes across as just pointless and annoying, contributing little to the film.
Where this film hits its flaws is in how messily told it is. There are pointless subplots galore which if dragged out more could have been interesting but they weren't and detracted from the central story. Some of these include Zachary Quinto's character trying to impress his father, Jodie Foster's son who died of an overdose, Jenny Slate's scenes altogether, and the LA riots. None of these things actually contribute to the film much at all. Luckily other elements of the film made up for those downfalls to me. As I said before the cast was great, as is the world they inhabit. Writer/director Drew Pearce has created an awesome world for his characters, complemented by great set and costume designs. While this film didn't always work I'd love to see more stories told in this dystopia which I'd definitely say is a plus for the film. I also liked the structure of the film a lot, building intrigue throughout the first two acts with the third act taking the shape of a great action movie climax. I loved the action scenes, and while there weren't a ton I think they were used really well.
So this movie is pretty messy, however it has a lot of good stuff going for it and to me it was enough to give a positive rating and recommend people give it a shot.
Rating: 3/5
Written by Matt McKenzie
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