A review by Brooks Rich
Having expectations when you go into a film can sometimes ruin the experience. It is important to have an open mind when you go into any film and not let outside influences effect you. So going into the new Netflix film Polar I did not want to start off comparing it to the John Wick movies, which I think are the pinnacle for the action genre right now. It's a good thing if movies take influence from John Wick, if they put time and effort into structuring their action sequences. I have no problem with that. It's too bad that Polar is just a cheap knockoff of the John Wick films, not understanding the beauty of those films.
Mads Mikkelsen plays Duncan Vizla, a contract killer about to retire at the age of fifty and collect a nice pension from the company he did jobs for. He moves to a remote cabin and befriends a young woman played by Vanessa Hudgens. When he is betrayed by his old colleagues, he sets out on a bloody path of revenge. We've been here before but that's fine. Usually hit men in films who are our protagonists are betrayed by their former employees. The problem here is that director Jonas Akerlund, a heavyweight in the music video world, wears his John Wick influence on his sleeve. He isn't taken inspiration from John Wick. He just wants Polar to be John Wick. Polar has a nice look to it at times but it doesn't have the subtlety and almost ballet like choreographer of the John Wick films and other leaders in the action genre like Jackie Chan films, which always have an art to their action sequences.
Polar's tone has major problems as well. It feels like two different movies at times. The movie Mikkelsen is in, who to his credit is acting his ass off in this, is in a quiet mediative film. The villains are in a exaggerated comic book film bordering on a violent cartoon. That might work well together in other films but not here. It's awkward when they go back and forth from each other.
This film is completely useless garbage. I'll give credit for the performances of Mikkelson and Hudgens but they are wasted in a film that is just an assault on the senses and makes you wish you were watching something else. Skip this one and watch something else on Netflix.
1/5
Having expectations when you go into a film can sometimes ruin the experience. It is important to have an open mind when you go into any film and not let outside influences effect you. So going into the new Netflix film Polar I did not want to start off comparing it to the John Wick movies, which I think are the pinnacle for the action genre right now. It's a good thing if movies take influence from John Wick, if they put time and effort into structuring their action sequences. I have no problem with that. It's too bad that Polar is just a cheap knockoff of the John Wick films, not understanding the beauty of those films.
Mads Mikkelsen plays Duncan Vizla, a contract killer about to retire at the age of fifty and collect a nice pension from the company he did jobs for. He moves to a remote cabin and befriends a young woman played by Vanessa Hudgens. When he is betrayed by his old colleagues, he sets out on a bloody path of revenge. We've been here before but that's fine. Usually hit men in films who are our protagonists are betrayed by their former employees. The problem here is that director Jonas Akerlund, a heavyweight in the music video world, wears his John Wick influence on his sleeve. He isn't taken inspiration from John Wick. He just wants Polar to be John Wick. Polar has a nice look to it at times but it doesn't have the subtlety and almost ballet like choreographer of the John Wick films and other leaders in the action genre like Jackie Chan films, which always have an art to their action sequences.
Polar's tone has major problems as well. It feels like two different movies at times. The movie Mikkelsen is in, who to his credit is acting his ass off in this, is in a quiet mediative film. The villains are in a exaggerated comic book film bordering on a violent cartoon. That might work well together in other films but not here. It's awkward when they go back and forth from each other.
This film is completely useless garbage. I'll give credit for the performances of Mikkelson and Hudgens but they are wasted in a film that is just an assault on the senses and makes you wish you were watching something else. Skip this one and watch something else on Netflix.
1/5
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