Filmmakers have been incorporating videogame graphics into movies for years, but "Hardcore Henry" is the first time they have created an entire film using nothing but first-person shooter images. The result is a film that has an undeniable visual and visceral kick, but it falls flat on its face in terms of story and character.
The film opens exactly as if it were a videogame; we wake up looking right through the eyes of our hero, unable to speak and not knowing who we are or what has happened beforehand. We do learn that we have been given some robotic enhancements, which is a good thing because the movie immediately kicks into high gear as bad guys attack.
The rest is ninety-plus minutes of unrelenting action shown only from our first person point-of-view. The bad guys get killed, blood splatters everywhere and we get to engage in all sorts of impossible stunts and fighting sequences. You know, just like what would happen if you were playing a video game.
There are a few minor characters that pop up from time to time, hoping to give the story some depth. They don't really work. The characters are only a quick diversion before the film kicks back into action-mode. As is often the case in videogames, this movie is all about the action.
That action is quite impressive, and it's impossible to not get excited by the film's non-stop movement. Your heartbeat will definitely speed up and your adrenaline will flow. At the press screening, which was populated almost entirely by young men, I was surprised that post-show fights didn't break out given that the audience had just spent the entire run time amped up and vicariously fighting via the movie.
It is important to note that fights didn't break out because the audience left the theater thrilled at having seen (and experienced) such an exciting story. The experience got to me as well. "Hardcore Henry" is a very fun thrill ride of a story, but that's not quite the same thing as being a good movie.
The relentless action told exclusively through our hero's eyes makes for a memorable cinematic experience, but it's all flash with no depth. One day a filmmaker will incorporate this visual technique into an actual story with characters, emotions and a complex narrative. That film will be one I'd like to see. I felt like I'd already seen "Hardcore Henry," because the film offers little more than the same experience I get whenever I play videogames at home.
Movie reviews by Sean, "The Movie Guy," are published bi-weekly in "The Port Arthur News" and seen weekly on KFDM and KBTV. Sean welcomes your comments via email at smcbride@sbgtv.com.com.
Source → THE MOVIE GUY: 'Henry� mostly for 'Hardcore� gamers
