Hunter Killer

Going in: I'm expecting a B-movie action flick. Not great but enjoyable. Saw it with both my boys (Zach and Jonathan).

Popcorn: 8.5/10. Whoa. That was a serious jump from expectation. It was still a little cheesy but the amount of suspense it carried was immense, dare I say Hitchcockian? It surprised me like Greatest Showman did. And it took a long time for all the adrenaline to get out of my system.

Art: 8/10. I'm a little surprised the score was this high. It's a B-action film for sure. But the amount of storytelling adds up pretty quickly.

Acting: 3/3. There was plenty of class A acting here (Oldman, Butler, etc.) but the new faces kept right up.

Music: 1/2. This was a tough call. Jonathan's the big classical music buff in the family and he really enjoyed it. He said it was a fresh style he hadn't heard before. I think it was understated but I'm glad. More on that later.

Filming: 1/2. There were a couple of shots (there's some forest shots that are pretty cool). There were some decisions they made for different camera angles and shots. That was pretty innovative.

Art Dept: 1/2. I'm conflicted here. Everything pulled you into the movie - the equipment on the bridge, the layout, uniforms - everything. Except the CGI. There were some shots that were obvious greenscreen. At least 3 by my count. Sucked me right out of the movie.

Editing: 1/2. Pretty obvious stuff. I think there were some spots they could've shown more but at the same time, it may have overkilled the senses.

Story: 4/4. There's normally a theme I can pull out, but this one was pretty light. You were there for the action. I have to say it honestly didn't matter in this film. It gripped your attention and did not let go. We walked out of the theater talking about it. It honestly reminded me of Hitchcock. There were a couple of instances where it slowed down a bit or I thought "why didn't they do this other thing" but to keep an emotional high for that long was pretty well done. It's why I think adding suspenseful music or intense editing could have overdone it to the point of making the audience go numb.

Directing: 3/3. Well done. Just very well done. Not only did the suspense linger, but everything in the movie added to the experience.

Production: 2/2. My boys want to check out the book. It was just a quick decision they made. A must see on the big screen. I think you'll lose something on the small screen.