Another week, another Netflix Weekly Top 10 list in the books. The movies on this week’s list are mostly good ones, some certainly better than others (how Taken In Plain Sight is still on the top 10 is beyond us). KPop Demon Hunters is still sitting pretty at number 3, and we have some good thrillers with I Know What You Did Last Summer and Don’t Say A Word, starring Michael Douglas. But the top spot this week belongs to a new thriller starring Rebecca Ferguson and Idris Elba, and it seems like it might be an instant hit.
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A House of Dynamite is the newest film from seasoned director Kathryn Bigelow. Its timeline is interesting, to say the least, with the story told in a non-linear fashion, showing the same events three times from different perspectives, with each section having its own unique title. Each of these events centers around what happens when a single, unattributed missile is launched at the United States, kicking off a race to discover who is responsible and what the motive behind the launch is. Reviews and ratings have started coming in, and currently, the movie has a 76% on Rotten Tomatoes. Alan Kempenaar of Flimspotting says that A House Of Dynamite is “gripping with real-world urgency and its ticking-clock premise, but struggles to justify its repetitive structure, offering diminishing returns and a frustratingly hollow ending.”
What To Expect From A House Of Dynamite
So far, reviews of the film are very mixed, with the ending being enough to earn it more than a few 1-star ratings. “This movie tried so hard to be deep and intense, but it ends up repeating the same scenes until you’re begging for it to move on. The three-perspective thing doesn’t add anything, it just kills the momentum. By the time the ending shows up, it feels like the movie gave up instead of actually finishing the story. Big stakes, good cast, zero payoff. Ambitious idea, terrible execution, and a finale that feels like a slap in the face for anyone who sat through it,” said one viewer. Another viewer had a more generous take on the film, saying, “If you want a fun adventure, with a clean wrap-up, this is not that movie. I think it’s something better: a gripping account of how the US government would react in case of nuclear attack, with all the personal decisions, biases and failures that could happen along the way. Reminded me of old European movies that don’t give you an ending so as to make you think. Few movies leave an impact these days, this one did.”
It seems that A House Of Dynamite has an intense premise that just didn’t stick the landing. But all in all, it seems like a decent way to spend two hours if you’re in the mood for an intense political thriller, especially if you don’t take it too seriously. It’s thought-provoking and tense at best, and a little bit lame at worst—like many thrillers that have come before it.
Have you seen A House Of Dynamite? Tell your thoughts about the movie in the comments, and then head over to the ComicBook forums to see what other fans are saying.
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