So, lemme get this straight, by 2036, military insubordination is no longer a court martial? Good to know. I mean, during wartime, you can’t just ignore a superior officer and do what you want, can you? Tell that to 1st Lt. Harp, a drone operator who disobeys a direct order, killing two marines in the process, but saving 38. As right as that action was, I really don’t think he gets to make that call.
As a “punishment,” Harp (Damson Idris – which sounds last young Idris Elba about to get told off by his father), is sent to the battlefront in Ukraine and assigned to Captain Leo (Anthony Mackie), a cyborg.
I’ll give this much to Mackie – I don’t think his Falcon is winning any hearts and minds, so, sure, why not be an action cyborg! Oh, but it turns out this cyborg was programmed to be a dick. Don’t you hate it when your android is an asshole? Oh, and it gets better – The Falconator has a super secret mission requiring he and Harp to travel into enemy territory to do something really dangerous. It’s a good thing Capt. Leo is indestructible, right? Right?
It’s one thing when you’re not on a need-to-know basis; it’s quite another when this action involves suicide missions. You should know what you’re dying for. Oh, and it’s quite a third when your manmade boss is
not only hostile to you, but might be lying … a lot.
The trailer to this one looked pretty good. Cyborg soldier – is he gonna be more Terminator or Robocop? Turned out, this was actually a very poor man’s Ex Machina. The roboidiocy was just an excuse for silly plot twists and unnecessary blood. And wouldn’t it be nice if The Falconator actually did some cool stuff, you know, because it’s a robot? Maybe? Is that too much to ask?
I liked this film initially. I liked it less as it pressed on. When Outside the Wire hit the double secret plot twist, it became clear that the film was a mistake and needed at least two rewrites before hitting the green light district. I seriously question designing a bot to be hostile to subordinates. This assumes a military culture so built on negativity and ego-ism it’s no wonder we keep getting into pointless wars. Perhaps that’s the point. If it is, I’m not wild about that, either.
A future lieutenant named Harp
Found discipline a skill less-than-sharp
So they sent him to war
To teach him what for
And work for a robot engaged in a larp
Rated R, 114 Minutes
Director: Mikael Håfström
Writers: Rob Yescombe, Rowan Athale
Genre: Our screwed future
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Sentient computers
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: People who don’t like plot twists
