Will this movie save us from superhero fatigue?
Who is that old man who lives in front of you? Is he really the one you always thought he was? Or could it be someone else? Could he be a superhero?
Chances are, he's just a guy who wants to be left alone, so before you ask him to rescue your cat from the tree, you might want to consider another option for your poor cat instead.
But in Samaria, the 2014 film adaptation of the graphic novel, young Sam (Javon Walton) is convinced that Joe (Sylvester Stallone), the garbage collector who lives in the apartment building across the street from him, is a Samaritan. probably dies in an explosion along with his villainous twin brother, Nemesis, 25 years ago.
Joe insists he's no longer a senile criminal, but Sam, obsessed with the Samaritan, isn't about to leave the hermit alone. After the boy skillfully saves him from being beaten by a group of thugs, Sam is convinced that he is indeed a hero standing for justice for the people who once lived in the slums of Granite City.
So is Joe a superhero or just a guy who wants to live out his senior years in solitude? The answer is not immediately clear, but as the story progresses, we begin to understand that Joe is not just a normal person. Not only does he throw tires around like a Frisbee, he also lifts cars and jumps long distances. He also takes on the local criminal gang with ease, though when their leader Cyrus (Pilou Asbæk) steals Nemesis's mask and magic hammer, the fight against them becomes a bit more difficult, for reasons I won't get into here.
You'd be forgiven if you're suffering from superhero fatigue, because now that comic book movies and shows are rarely off our screens, each tries to outdo the last with big-budget action sequences and expensive special effects. So, if you're someone who's long tired of the superhero genre, you might be a little wary of Samaritan. However, this film is more grounded than anything the MCU has offered recently, and refreshingly short of the explosive action sequences we're used to.
That's not to say there's no action, but the film is more about backstabbing the bad guys and more about the growing relationship between Sam and Joe; a bond that gives the film its heart. The film is also not saturated with CGI and other special effects, which is a good thing, because the quality of the effects in Samaritan is not always good.
The scene where Joe is hit by a car is believable enough, but in a later scene where aging effects are used to show a younger version of his character, it's clear that more work needs to be done to make this fresher-faced. the embodiment seems more convincing.
In terms of story, the film is a bit hit and miss. When the focus is on Joe and Sam's relationship, the plot is interesting enough. It manages to hold attention as Stallone and Walton both give decent performances in their respective roles.
Unfortunately, the movie goes off course when the cartoonish villains take center stage, and that's in part because of the lewd stereotypes they fall into. So while Sam and Joe are more than one-dimensional characters – Sam is a superhero-obsessed young kid forced to grow up when he falls in with the wrong crowd; Joe is a reluctant hero with a mysterious past - Cyrus and his henchmen have little in the way of character depth. The story also stumbles a bit when it comes to focusing on their plans, as their motivations are thinly laid out.
But despite this imbalance, the film is not bad. Stallone is a joy to watch and proves once again that he is a better actor than many give him credit for, and Walton gives a sensitive performance as a fatherless child in dire need of a hero.
The central mystery surrounding Joe's true identity is a truly intriguing one, and despite the assumption that he's probably the hero everyone assumed was dead, the film manages to keep us engaged as it teases us with clues before the final reveal.
Since Granite City looks like a real-life settlement far removed from the fantastical world of Tim Burton's Gotham, it's easy to feel the plight of Sam and the other residents of the estate, which is tainted by poverty, crime and crime. and low quality housing.
Those are the film's strengths, and since it's not as grandiose and CGI-heavy as other comic book movies, this might be just the antidote you need if you want something a little more grounded. It's doubtful that this will be the start of a franchise (I'll probably have to eat my words later), but as a standalone film, it mostly works, even if it leaves us with a few more questions before the end credits roll. to roll
I enjoyed it
I enjoyed Samaritan, and if you're looking for a superhero movie that's grittier and more realistic than most (as realistic as a guy with super-powered weapons and incredible abilities can be), then you might enjoy this too. It doesn't completely avoid the comic book tropes we're used to - maniacal bad guys, a big climactic race - but it has some interesting things to say about morality and the line between good and evil, so it's not as traditional as the others. movies in the oversaturated superhero genre.