Hardcore Henry Movie Review

Article by Gabe Zia

Lazy Film Critic Movie Reviews

Hardcore Henry

Hardcore Henry is a video game movie about a man named Henry who, after some unknown event (I'm not just saying that to avoid spoilers, this film never actually clarifies it), has to undergo a cybernetic Robocop-esque procedure and become a super-soldier. Immediately after that, his wife is kidnapped by some evil guy (also never truly clarified who he is), and Henry has to save her. The gimmick? This film was made entirely by strapping a camera to the lead actors head, it's entirely filmed in first person. Should make for an entertaining albeit headache inducing film, and it absolutely does.

If you know my reviews and you know this site, or if you just know me in person, you probably know that I value a films entertainment factor over most other factors. Sure, there's the odd exception, but most of the time the thing I care the most about is whether or not a film can keep me hooked, and keep my interested. And Hardcore Henry does just that, with seemingly constant action, and bloody action at that, this has to be one of the goriest films that will come out in 2016, at least in terms of major releases.

On top of being not just entertaining, this movie is a lot of fun. The action setpeices just keep happening, and it leaves you with a constant feeling of just having fun. That is, if you don't get motion sickness, which if you do, I can't honestly recommend watching this movie. What adds to the fun is the characters, specifically Sharlto Copley. He's one of the best and most versatile actors in the industry, and the fact that he plays multiple characters each with distinct personalities in this film just shows his range as an actor even more. 

However, there is a point in Hardcore Henry where I have to unfortunately sit back and be a critic. Hardcore Henry is much like Machete or Machete Kills in the sense that it highly values the fun factor over the kind of stuff critics look for. That's not to say the writing or cinematography or things like that are even that bad, it's just that they aren't really there. So while I'm sure a lot of the more cold hearted and jaded critics would hate this movie for lacking those qualities, I'm more than willing to forgive it because I had a blast watching this movie.

Final Rating
Now, I'm not going to lie to you. If you get motion sickness or have epilepsy, do not watch this movie. I say this because there's no warning at the start of the film about stuff like that. However, if you think you can handle it, Hardcore Henry is one of the more fun and enjoyable movie experiences this year. Not a great film, but a welcome distraction from horrible films like Gods Not Dead 2 or Batman v Superman.