Let me start by saying I'm grading this on a sliding scale. Given that this is a straight to video action flick and the second sequel (fourth if you want to get all nit-picky about it) I thought it was extremely successful with what it set out to do.
Maybe it's the my expectations were so low going into it. I liked the original but I'm nowhere near as fanatical as its die hard supporters. I've forgotten almost everything about "The Return" except that I thought it was the worst possible direction they could steer a potential franchise in. I've never seen the made for cable movies. Lastly, after his impressive turn in JCVD, I admit I thought this was a step backward for Van Damme.
But you know what? This movie is better than it has any right to be. The story is nothing spectacular (falling squarely between the original and "The Return" in terms of quality) but I only have one major gripe with it. I don't mind that they basically ignore the last one where Luc was completely normal again. The approach they take here makes a lot more sense and is much more interesting. The way they set him up as not being able to function on his own and having a doctor trying to reinsert him into society is pretty compelling stuff. And there's some early indications that they're going somewhere with all of it. So I was pretty disappointed when it became clear that once Luc straps his armor on, it's all action till the credits role. No character arc. No pay off for anything that came before. No indication that anything that happened to Luc prior to the climax had any impact on the overall story.
What really doesn't help this problem is Luc's late introduction into the film. We have no clear protagonist for the first third of the movie. No one to really care about or relate to. We're introduced to all the supporting cast and the story certainly moves forward, but there's a lack of clarity to the proceedings because there's no main character that any of this is happening to. Stuff's just happening.
By the time we do catch up with Luc we have minimal time to fill in the details because the clock's ticking and we only have one or two scenes before he inevitably has to be recruited for this mission. Had this story been told from Luc's POV from the get go (after the kidnapping and ransom demands were established) and had they actually given him a more defined character arc we would have an incredibly tragic hero and a film on par with the original. But honestly, after the last one and some of the other DTV action movies I've seen I'm pretty astonished they attempted to give him any character depth at all.
The film's biggest strength is its direction. John Hyams really elevates this material and I'm dying to see what he could do with a bigger budget and more resources at his disposal. He certainly knows how to shoot action. While there is some influence from the Bourne series and even stuff like Children of Men, it's shot and choreographed in a way that's still easy to follow. You always know what's going on. From the opening car chase all the way to the final fight, it's brutal and realistic and totally cohesive for a change.
The performances are also pretty solid. He even got a decent one out of Dolph (and given his recent fare that's no easy task). I'm not sure why the NGU got top billing but he's certainly a more formidable opponent than Goldberg. I've read a lot of reviews complaining that Van Damme & Dolph didn't team up at the end. This didn't bother me on my initial viewing but in retrospect it was a little strange having two "final" fights and not ever having all three of them in the same scene.
It's a dramatic shift in tone from the original but unlike the last sequel they use the low budget creatively and appropriately instead of making it look like it was shot in someone's garage.
You've probably heard people make comparisons of the score to early John Carpenter stuff. That's not totally off base. While it's essentially just a series of drones and tribal drums, it really does work with the film. It's never distracting and the minimalistic approach really does help the desolate and dangerous feel of the movie.
While I still feel the movie had a giant missed opportunity with Luc's character, the fact remains that it's extremely successful at what it set out to do and while it's not going to win any awards it should be an extremely welcome addition to any fan's collection.
Maybe it's the my expectations were so low going into it. I liked the original but I'm nowhere near as fanatical as its die hard supporters. I've forgotten almost everything about "The Return" except that I thought it was the worst possible direction they could steer a potential franchise in. I've never seen the made for cable movies. Lastly, after his impressive turn in JCVD, I admit I thought this was a step backward for Van Damme.
But you know what? This movie is better than it has any right to be. The story is nothing spectacular (falling squarely between the original and "The Return" in terms of quality) but I only have one major gripe with it. I don't mind that they basically ignore the last one where Luc was completely normal again. The approach they take here makes a lot more sense and is much more interesting. The way they set him up as not being able to function on his own and having a doctor trying to reinsert him into society is pretty compelling stuff. And there's some early indications that they're going somewhere with all of it. So I was pretty disappointed when it became clear that once Luc straps his armor on, it's all action till the credits role. No character arc. No pay off for anything that came before. No indication that anything that happened to Luc prior to the climax had any impact on the overall story.
What really doesn't help this problem is Luc's late introduction into the film. We have no clear protagonist for the first third of the movie. No one to really care about or relate to. We're introduced to all the supporting cast and the story certainly moves forward, but there's a lack of clarity to the proceedings because there's no main character that any of this is happening to. Stuff's just happening.
By the time we do catch up with Luc we have minimal time to fill in the details because the clock's ticking and we only have one or two scenes before he inevitably has to be recruited for this mission. Had this story been told from Luc's POV from the get go (after the kidnapping and ransom demands were established) and had they actually given him a more defined character arc we would have an incredibly tragic hero and a film on par with the original. But honestly, after the last one and some of the other DTV action movies I've seen I'm pretty astonished they attempted to give him any character depth at all.
The film's biggest strength is its direction. John Hyams really elevates this material and I'm dying to see what he could do with a bigger budget and more resources at his disposal. He certainly knows how to shoot action. While there is some influence from the Bourne series and even stuff like Children of Men, it's shot and choreographed in a way that's still easy to follow. You always know what's going on. From the opening car chase all the way to the final fight, it's brutal and realistic and totally cohesive for a change.
The performances are also pretty solid. He even got a decent one out of Dolph (and given his recent fare that's no easy task). I'm not sure why the NGU got top billing but he's certainly a more formidable opponent than Goldberg. I've read a lot of reviews complaining that Van Damme & Dolph didn't team up at the end. This didn't bother me on my initial viewing but in retrospect it was a little strange having two "final" fights and not ever having all three of them in the same scene.
It's a dramatic shift in tone from the original but unlike the last sequel they use the low budget creatively and appropriately instead of making it look like it was shot in someone's garage.
You've probably heard people make comparisons of the score to early John Carpenter stuff. That's not totally off base. While it's essentially just a series of drones and tribal drums, it really does work with the film. It's never distracting and the minimalistic approach really does help the desolate and dangerous feel of the movie.
While I still feel the movie had a giant missed opportunity with Luc's character, the fact remains that it's extremely successful at what it set out to do and while it's not going to win any awards it should be an extremely welcome addition to any fan's collection.