Lockout (Blu-ray)

It's probably best summed up as a Friday night beer 'n' pizza movie but I think if you approach it from that angle it's ok enough Luc Besson produced silliness.

In the future, a huge space prison has been built to house the most dangerous individuals who are kept in stasis. When the President's daughter (Maggie Grace) is visiting to inspect the place and a breakout occurs ending with her as a hostage, the only person who may be able to rescue her is Snow (a majorly pumped up Guy Pearce). He's a former agent recently framed for a murder who can win his pardon if he does succeed in bringing her home.

Sound familiar? Well yep......it's a thinly disguised riff on John Carpenter's Escape from New York.

The action is certainly continous (though in places the CGI varies from terrible - during an opening freeway chase - to not too bad in the space sequences) and everyone looks like they signed up just to basically have a lark rather than make a serious film. It isn't as good as Carpenter's work but as a disposable Friday flick it should tick most boxes.

Lockout (2012) is a sci-fi action thriller starring Guy Pearce, Maggie Grace, Joseph Gilgun and Vincent Regan.

I had quite low expectations for this movie but it pleasantly surprised me with its sense of fun and excitement. Lockout reminded me of the classic John Carpenter movie Escape From New York.

Guy Pearce proves his action chops with sarcastic anti-hero Snow (very similar to Snake Plissken) while Maggie Grace is given a little more to work with than her usual girl in trouble roles.

Stealing the show though is British actor Joseph Gilgun. Best know as Woody in Shane Meadows This Is England, Gilgun here plays the villain and is both intimidating and charismatic.

Lockout is surprisingly fun and entertaining. My only complaint is that at times it is too similar to Escape From New York and suffers from a lack of originality.

Tries so hard to be an 80s action flick but fails on every level. Poor story, script, baddies and no exciting action. Guy Pearce tries to save this turkey but even his one liners start to grate. And the effects are even worse than those found in the 80s. Do yourself a favour and get watch ANY other 80s action film

Poor Guy Pearce. As if having to play a Mr Burns in Prometheus wasn't enough for one year, he also had to star in Lockout, the story of a framed CIA agent, Snow, who must earn his freedom by rescuing the president's daughter (Maggie Grace) from an orbit prison. Sound familiar? Yes, it is basically Escape From New York in space.
It's enjoyable enough, with Pearce well suited to the role of wise cracking cop, but too full of ham fisted one liners and derivative ideas to be anything more than a shallow forgery of far better sci-fi thrillers.
With two directors attached to the movie it is obviouse that there was conflicting interest when in production. The film has good ideas but none explored and probably let on the cutting room floor, the effects look cheap, the action unoriginal and the overall effect of the film was forgettable and actually surprised this got a release in the cinema as this version has direct to DVD written all over it. Maybe one day the directors cut will surface,but as this chopped version stands it's a case of watch and forget in 'T' Minus two hours. A great ptiy as with a good actor like Guy Pearce this could have been great.
See If you like.......
Fortress.
Fortress 2
Space Truckers.
Total Recall 2012.
Escape From L.A.

Poor Guy Pearce. As if having to play a Mr Burns in Prometheus wasn't enough for one year, he also had to star in Lockout, the story of a framed CIA agent, Snow, who must earn his freedom by rescuing the president's daughter (Maggie Grace) from an orbit prison. Sound familiar? Yes, it is basically Escape From New York in space.
It's enjoyable enough, with Pearce well suited to the role of wise cracking cop, but too full of ham fisted one liners and derivative ideas to be anything more than a shallow forgery of far better sci-fi thrillers.
With two directors attached to the movie it is obviouse that there was conflicting interest when in production. The film has good ideas but none explored and probably let on the cutting room floor, the effects look cheap, the action unoriginal and the overall effect of the film was forgettable and actually surprised this got a release in the cinema as this version has direct to DVD written all over it. Maybe one day the directors cut will surface,but as this chopped version stands it's a case of watch and forget in 'T' Minus two hours. A great ptiy as with a good actor like Guy Pearce this could have been great.
See If you like.......
Fortress.
Fortress 2
Space Truckers.
Total Recall 2012.
Escape From L.A.

'snow' ( pearce ) has been wrongly accused of treason and the killing of a fellow agent and faces a long prison sentence.
the presidents daughter 'emile' is visiting a penal institution for dangerous prisoners which is situated many miles above earth, she is investigating the treatment of the in-mates on 'm.s.i'
while she is there a massive prisoner breakout takes place, 'emily' is now a hostage.
debating how to rescue her and restore order is discused by the authorities rather than a full-scale attack which would allmost certainly see 'emily' killed, it is suggested that one man should try to rescue the presidents daughter.
the imprisoned 'snow' becomes the obvious choice with his no-nonsense approach, he is reluctant believing it to be a suicide mission, however an agent tells him that 'mace' is a prisoner on 'm.s.i'
'mace' maybe the only man alive that can help 'snow' prove his innocents.........'snow' takes on the mission.
this is a really good action movie set some way into the future, well worth watching with it's impressive special effects.

Amazing sci-fi action movie with a retro feel!! The story is sweet and simple and probably predictable but that matters not as you will have so much fun with this movie, it feels really oldschool action like something the 80s would have thrown at us with Bruce Willis back in the day. Guy Pearce is a quality actor who plays a fun character in a ridiculous situation in space saving the presidents daughter from thousands of the worlds most dangerous criminals, all good fun, lots of great action and plenty of cheesy one liners, make sure you check it out.