ANALYSIS:

LOCKOUT borrows a lot from other science fiction films. It is like a remake of ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK in some ways. Guy Pearce is the likeable jerk as ex-CIA agent Snow who is jailed for a crime he didn't do. He is given the chance to rescue the President's daughter (Maggie Grace) when she becomes trapped on the outer space Super Max prison known as MS-One. One of the criminals gets hold of a gun and the prison is soon overrun by unthawed prisoners who have been in stasis. Despite the logic holes in the script, Guy Pearce mostly holds together this film. Snow (Guy Pearce) is a rogue who cares and will get the job done. He just has to face off against some very dangerous bad guys. MS-One has to be one of the worst maximum security prisons with no safeguards to prevent the bad guys from running over the place and I don't understand why the bad guys so easily wake from stasis when they are freed from their stasis containers.

 

So LOCKOUT is full of plenty of bad plot bunnies that require you to leave your brain at the door and just enjoy Guy Pearce's performance as Snow. I don't know how Luc Besson let such a weak script get produced when he has produced and co-written better films. The film does feature some good actors and some good use of special effects, but I wish they focused on writing a better script before filming it in Belgrade, the capitol of Serbia. Then I don't see the point of a big space fighter assault on MS-One at the climax of the film plus the action scenes are plagued by shaky camera action fights and cardboard stereotypical bad guys. The bad guys are pretty two dimensional and not the types you would love to hate. You are happy when they are gone. LOCKOUT could have been so much fun and been filled with many interesting characters and situations, but instead we get some great scenes with Guy Pearce while the rest of it is pretty crappy.  Rent it.  The only difference between the PG-13 theatrical version and the unrated edition is they inserted all of the R rated violence back into the film.   The CG visual effects sometime look extremely good on the Blu-ray.

 

SPECIAL FEATURES:

BREAKING INTO LOCKOUT- a making-of featurette that has interviews with cast and crew about the movie

A VISION OF THE FUTURE- this featurette looks at the production design and visual effects, and how the practical sets were extended via green screen (and CGI).

 

FINAL ANALYSIS:  LOCKOUT is fun in a B movie type of way and only the performances from the characters keeps it somewhat grounded and prevents it from being a total waste of time.   Rent it.  Buy it if you like sci-fi B movies or a fan of Guy Pearce or Maggie Grace.

 

This review is (c)7-22-2012 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission.  Send all comments to feedback@enterline-media.com