Article by Gabe Zia
Lazy Film Critic Movie Reviews
Big Game is an action film starring Samuel L. Jackson and Onni Tommila, and it's the directorial debut of Jalmari Helander. The film more or less follows two different stories. One of them follows the President, as he struggles to survive a terrorist attack that crashed Air Force One in the middle of the woods in Finland. The other follows a Finnish kid named Oskari, as he goes through a right of passage of sorts, and has to survive in the woods for one day and one night, while hunting. The two of these characters meet, and we have what is essentially Air Force One meets Cliffhanger.
Before I get to the action, I've gotta talk about Samuel L. Jackson and Onni Tommila. First off, Jackson is pretty decent as what is arguably the lead role of this movie. Really, at this point in time, that shouldn't come off as much of a surprise, I mean he's Samuel L. Jackson, he's rarely a forgettable part of a movie. However, the real standout of Big Game was Onni Tommila. It's especially surprising that this is one of his first films, because he's a surprisingly good actor for his age. When it comes to kid actors, they're either terrible or amazing, and Onni Tommila is fantastic in this movie.
However, acting aside, Big Game is a movie that exists for one reason, and that reason is the action. A recent sub-genre that's been becoming increasingly popular is the modern day 80s action movie, which essentially amounts to cheesy one-liners, over the top action, and ridiculous set-pieces. While movies like Kung Fury tend to go way over the top with this, Big Game is one of the few films in this genre that I think has successfully recreated the overall tone and feel of an 80s action movie. It's got the one-liners, it's goes over the top, and it works.
However, while I really enjoy Big Game as an action movie, it has one issue that, as a critic, It'd be weird if I ignored it. Yes, Big Game is a fun movie, but even though it was intentionally made this way, the film lacks in most critical lines of thinking. The cinematography is passable, the soundtrack is forgettable, the special effects look fairly fake, and the writing was a little too serious for a film which is mostly cheesy action. Big Game doesn't take itself too seriously though, so it's easy for me to look past these and enjoy a fun movie. I still have to talk about them though, or else I'd just be "Lazy Guy Who Watches Films Then Talks About Them A Bit", which doesn't really have the same ring to it.
Final Rating
Big Game, from any critical standpoint, is far from a perfect movie. Hell, to anybody who has seen this movie can agree, this isn't the kind of movie that'll win any oscars. However, from a strictly entertainment standpoint, Big Game is some of the most fun you'll have all year, which is why despite any negatives the movie has, I'd absolutely recommend that if it's playing near you, go check it out. I guarantee that at the very least, you'll have a good time.
Final Rating
Big Game, from any critical standpoint, is far from a perfect movie. Hell, to anybody who has seen this movie can agree, this isn't the kind of movie that'll win any oscars. However, from a strictly entertainment standpoint, Big Game is some of the most fun you'll have all year, which is why despite any negatives the movie has, I'd absolutely recommend that if it's playing near you, go check it out. I guarantee that at the very least, you'll have a good time.
Big Game
3.8/5
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