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Men In Black 3

It’s not a sequel that needed to be made, but thanks to the charm of its leads and a tone that harks back to the wit and humour of the original, it’s a pretty enjoyable trip.

Bel Ami

The excellent female support cast saves this patchy effort, which is let down by its leading man and a flat screenplay.

The Dictator

A disappointing, often repulsive and mean-spirited mess of a film with seemingly only one real criterion on its agenda: to shock and offend.

The Woman In Black

Packed with atmosphere, this old-fashioned but deftly told ghost story delivers ample chills and thrills.

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This Means War (Film)

by Michael Simms | February 13, 2012 12:56 | Edited February 13, 2012 12:58

Despite its formulaic set-up and clunky action, it’s still an enjoyable piece of escapism largely thanks to the charm of its three leads.

Despite the lame concept, Charlie's Angels director McG makes an enjoyable return to the action-comedy genre with this high concept star vehicle. Best mates Tuck (Tom Hardy) and FDR (Chris Pine) are undercover CIA operatives who succeed in combat but struggle with romance. After a long-winded coincidence, both fall head over heels for Lauren (Reese Witherspoon), a successful and intelligent woman who is yet to find Mr. Right. With the motto "may the best man win", the two alpha males go hammer and tong to vie for her affections, utilising their access to guns, tranquilisers and hidden cameras to damage their competitor's chance at love.

 

When things kick into gear, It Means War evolves into an exuberant, high-energy farce. Watching FDR and Tuck's elaborate attempts at sabotage are reasonably enjoyable for the most part, but the film loses momentum during the final act. In an attempt to evoke sympathy towards these men, sappiness trickles into the screenplay, robbing it of the ruthless edge promised in early scenes. Given the fact that Tuck and FDR are essentially stalking Lauren, it is hard to root for either to succeed and the tacked-on ending ties up the predicament far too neatly. Nonetheless, the two male leads are charming and Reese Witherspoon exudes sophistication and intelligence. Comedienne Chelsea Handler steals the film as Lauren's wisecracking best friend, delivering the brashest laugh out loud moments in an effectively deadpan fashion.

 

Surprisingly, McG doesn't handle the action quite as well as the comedic elements. The opening sequence set in Hong Kong is incoherent and bland, and the lacklustre finale really needed a spectacular action set piece to end the film with a bang - but despite its many flaws, This Means War will provide fun, frothy escapism for those seeking undemanding entertainment.