This Means War
Review by Sean Lynch
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This Means War
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For most, This Means War
director McG is little more than a poor mans Michael Bay. He is
flashy, he is loud and he is an uncompromisable commercial movie making beast.
He is out to entertain and little else.
For the crusty upper class of cinema goers, his name is more than enough reason to steer clear of a schlocky popcorn piece like This Means War. For the rest of us, the 90% who don't know what movie we are going to
see until we arrive at the cinema, it's a name you should trust with
you life.
Such is the case with action rom-com This Means War.
It's by no means an Oscar contender but, as far as date movies go, it's
got just about everything you and your potential pash need. Sexy gals,
sexy guys, romance, comedy and the sort of action guys love (and
girls secretly swoon for).
It follows the world's deadliest CIA operatives (Star Trek's Chris Pine and The Dark Knight Rises' Tom Hardy) who are inseparable partners and best friends - until they fall for the same woman. Having
once helped bring down entire enemy nations, they are now employing
their incomparable skills and an endless array of high-tech gadgetry
against their greatest nemesis ever - each other. If it sounds
familiar - it should - this is the Spy vs Spy comic in every sense - but it's a clever, novel and fun take on the concept. The action
sequences are a lot of fun, without ever becoming mind numbing and over
done (as they were in, say, Safe House), while the chemistry between Pine, Hardy and Witherspoon is a joy to experience.
If you were to pick at This Means War
in any way, the dubious moral ending is hardly encouraging for those of
us who aren't elite killing machines (according to McG, women ONLY love
a MAN - office workers need not apply when it comes to love).
However,
it could be a good thing and might encourage those weaklings in the
audience to pick up some weights and try and impress the ladies sitting
next to them in the cinema by entering the UFC ring (again, this is the
trait the movie suggests all women secretly and not so secretly want in
their man).
Lads, if you can't crush a watermelon with your bare hands - you shouldn't be allowed to go on dates anyway! 3.5 out
of 5
This Means War
Australian release: 14th February,
2012
Official
Site: This Means War
Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, Tom Hardy
Director: McG
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