Extraction 2 (2023) Netflix - Sam Hargrave, Chris Hemsworth

[laagi]

Tyler Rake is back. Here's a first sneak peek and dare I say it looks damn good!

[ShaOW!linDude]

I recently watched Hargrave's Art of Action interview with Scott Adkins. It's really good. I'm looking forward to this.

[Super Ninja]

Is it that time already?!

What's better than living in an age where action directors are given enormous budgets to do what they do best? To go wild with their ideas? 

Great to see Sam at the heart of the action again, looks like he's doing the Raid thing with the camera being passed through a moving vehicle. Judging by that sneak peek, E2 will deliver! 

[laagi]

 

[Drunken Monk]

 

[Agent U]

Another indestructible protagonist?

Superhero movies seem to be losing the favour of the audience. Yet every successful action series out there seems to want to 'Marvelise' itself.

Edited April 7, 2023 by Agent U

[Drunken Monk]

45 minutes ago, Agent U said:

Another indestructible protagonist?

Superhero movies seem to be losing the favour of the audience. Yet every successful action series out there seems to wanto to 'Marvelise' itself.

In Extraction, he got the absolute shit beaten/shot out of him. He didn't feel indestructible at all. In fact, as the trailer states, he basically dies at the end of the first film. I'm not sure what you want. For the film to start, the lead character get shot in the head and then credits roll?

[Agent U]

52 minutes ago, Drunken Monk said:

In Extraction, he got the absolute shit beaten/shot out of him. He didn't feel indestructible at all. In fact, as the trailer states, he basically dies at the end of the first film. I'm not sure what you want. For the film to start, the lead character get shot in the head and then credits roll?

I'm not talking about the first movie, but the direction this trailer suggests for the sequel.

As for what I want, I don't know, perhaps a protagonist that doesn't have superhero durability, doesn't take dozens of fatal blows and just shakes them off, so that we can feel there are actually some stakes there. Is that too much to ask now? I don't think so.

[Drunken Monk]

35 minutes ago, Agent U said:

As for what I want, I don't know, perhaps a protagonist that doesn't have superhero durability, doesn't take dozens of fatal blows and just shakes them off, so that we can feel there are actually some stakes there. Is that too much to ask now? I don't think so.

I think this has been a rarity for a while now. Even modern classics like The Raid and The Night Comes for Us have heroes and villains with supernatural resilience. It seems to allow directors to dish out the punishment without needing a breather for medical attention. I don't mind it, myself. But I can see how those craving a little realism can be disappointed by this trope.

[Darth Kermit]

Never got around to the first film, but will definitely be checking both of them out when this drops.

[Drunken Monk]

Looks action packed! 

 

[laagi]

I don't recall but was there ever a tease for the return of Tyler Rake at the end of the first movie? Or is this another one of those off camera resurrections? 

As for the most recent trailer it looks OK. I wished I could say that a project associated with the Russo Brothers would excite me but it's quite the opposite nowadays. At least Sam Hargrave is still there so that's certainly gives me some hope!

[laagi]

On 4/6/2023 at 2:28 PM, Agent U said:

Another indestructible protagonist?

Superhero movies seem to be losing the favour of the audience. Yet every successful action series out there seems to want to 'Marvelise' itself.

Have you watched John Wick 4? You're probably gonna hate it LOL. But I get your point and there's certainly some truth there.

[Drunken Monk]

23 minutes ago, laagi said:

I don't recall but was there ever a tease for the return of Tyler Rake at the end of the first movie? Or is this another one of those off camera resurrections? 

There was a tease, yes. He appears again in the final moments of the film.

[Agent U]

On 5/17/2023 at 9:08 PM, laagi said:

Have you watched John Wick 4? You're probably gonna hate it LOL. But I get your point and there's certainly some truth there.

Yes, even left my thoughts on it and the series in the respective topic. 

In fact, JW4 was partly where I was coming from with that remark.

Edited May 19, 2023 by Agent U

[laagi]

I hate to admit it but this turned out to be a mostly underwhelming and disappointing sequel.

Paper thin story, under cooked characters, subpar acting; you name it. 'ExtractIIon' pretty much has it all!

Basically this is a carbon copy of every modern run of the mill, made for streaming action movie.

Don't question anything happening on screen or try to even make the slightest sense of it all. Just consume the next explosion or shoot out. I don't know?! I'm starting to get a bit tired of this.

It feels like we've seen this (one) too many times before and keep getting to see the same thing over and over again. I even caught myself actually feeling kind of bored and that in an action movie directed by Sam Hargrave and the Russo Brothers!

Also the best scenes are ONCE AGAIN in the trailer. Why are they keep doing this I gotta ask.

There's one scene at the very end which features a one-on-one in a church which honestly was almost the only redeeming factor of the movie to me.

What I do like is that especially in the aforementioned scene, Rake actually gets beaten the shit out of. Which gives the entire thing at the very least some sort of stakes.

Other than that there's really not much more to say here. Except for one last thing that's very clear at least IMHO, 'ExtractIIon' suffers tremendous by its new "globetrotting" setting.

Oh yeah and of course there's a tease for 'ExtractIIIon' and probably 'ExtractIVon' and so on. We all know how these things work by now.

 

[Drunken Monk]

Really enjoyed this one. One of the best of 2023 in my eyes. Sure, it barely has a plot but I didn’t really care. Hargrave knows what he wants to deliver and that’s action. And he absolutely nails it.

The set pieces are varied and we get gunplay, fisticuffs, big stunts, car chases, explosions, brutality and even multiple helicopters getting blown up. This is damn fine entertainment.

It’s not as sleek as John Wick 4 but it’s not supposed to be. This is Hargrave harkening back to the action flicks of yesteryear. “One man army” films like Commando and First Blood Part II. It’s actually a nice breath of fresh air as unlike many modern action films, it’s not filled with Wick-isms.

All in all, a fantastic action film that doesn’t ask too much of its audience. It just asks us whether we enjoy carnage. Those of us that answer that question with a resounding “Yes!” should love this one.

[laagi]

I'm not usually one trying to cause any troubles when it comes to reviews. Since after all the enjoyment of entertainment is a very personal matter.

That being said I strongly disagree with all the rave reviews for this movie!

Maybe because honestly this movie especially for an actioner, kind of pissed me off! Because it embodies everything wrong within the industry.

Now I want to be very clear here I'm not questioning the craftsmanship especially of the stunts. It's there and for the most part well done. However I also don't think that we should just turn a blind eye to a poor movie because of literally one good scene IMHO.

The scene I'm talking about and which most will take about is the "one shot" in the beginning. A new? gimmick that apparently the action industry just loves to throw in there nowadays, for good measure? Maybe.

However it can't hide the fact that 'ExtraxtIIon' is just a generic rushed sequel. One of those "we need content for our" service movies.

It's just incredibly lazy writing. Which again proves that the Russo brothers might not be that good outside the MCU. Coincidence that most of their movies have someone from the MCU star in it? I call "favours".

I just find it a tad insulting to the audience that they think throwing a bunch of explosions and shoot outs on the screen will be enough. Or is this filmmaking today where you just let it play out while you do god knows what. Only to later check out the best scenes on YouTube?!

Why not spend all this money on some sort of story and character development. If I don't care for either of these things because they're literally non-existent even the best action scene can't save this! And no I'm not asking for Shakespeare. 

I didn't care about anything in 'ExtraxtIIon' and that's the problem. Rant over.

Edited June 17, 2023 by laagi

[D1 Ma]

Mind-twisting plot, slick cinematography and Oscar-worthy acting in an action movie are the least important things to me. I mean, it's nice to have it all, but as long as action is great I can close my eyes on the rest

No doubt E2 had some good action, arguably, some of the best so far this year, but it left me somewhat underwhelmed.

 The fake 1 shot scene really annoyed me. I always rant about those and my opinion on them hasn't changed with years. It's just a gimmick that adds little, but takes away a lot. There's absolutely no point of doing a whatever-min-long scene when at this day and age you can make the whole movie like that.

Another thing, none of the action choreography was or seemed original. It all's been done before in many other movies. I was literally thinking while watching - oh, OK, that was done before in that film, and this was done in that other film, and this was similar to what we saw in some other film

Also, I was surprised at myself to be honest, but I noticed that lack of gore was bothering me. I really wanted something more bloody and brutal. E2 was too PG-13 for me. Kinda ashamed to acknowledge that but it's true

Finally, there wasn't enough action. Literally, we had 21-min fake one shot and the skyscraper sequence - and that's it. The finale went with a wimp, I'm not gonna even mention it

Don't get me wrong, those 2 action parts weren't bad at all, they had me pinned to my seat, but overall didn't satisfy my craving. I'd say it's B-  regarding the action. Good effort from Sam Hargrave, just not mindblowing)

 

( After watching EXtraction 2,  I re-watched that action sequence from EXtraordinary Mission and I gotta say, to my tastes, that action from Extraordinary Mission was miles ahead in terms of directing, editing and choreography. But it's just me)

 

 

[One Armed Boxer]

Ok, I'll even things up against @laagi and @D1 Ma by siding with @Drunken Monk on this one - I found it to be a solid sequel, although agree many of the action scenes played like a Best of 21st century Asian Action Cinema served up for a western audience. I gave it the full review treatment over at COF - 

https://cityonfire.com/extraction-2-2023-review-sequel-ii-part/

[laagi]

[One Armed Boxer]

On 6/17/2023 at 8:19 AM, laagi said:

Also the best scenes are ONCE AGAIN in the trailer. Why are they keep doing this I gotta ask.

I stopped watching trailers in the early 2010's, which I feel is the period when studios really started to cram them with all of the money shots, leaving very little as a surprise during the movie itself. Of course the one place where you can't avoid them is in the cinema, so I found myself mildly infuriated when I recently went to a screening of 'The Roundup: No Way Out', and it showed a trailer for the latest 'Mission: Impossible' flick. Both the motorbike jump off the cliff and the train derailment scene were shown, which I really wanted to see the first time when I actually watch it, but I'll try to force myself to forget in the month that's left before it comes out.   

On 6/17/2023 at 8:19 AM, laagi said:

Except for one last thing that's very clear at least IMHO, 'ExtractIIon' suffers tremendous by its new "globetrotting" setting.

Generally I tend to agree with this statement (although I didn't have an issue with it in 'Extraction 2' - mainly thanks to the location shooting) when it comes to straight to streaming action movies. The whole either a. let's green screen everything, or b. let's pass somewhere in eastern Europe for any number of other countries in Europe approach may seem like it makes these lower budgeted productions grander in scale, but if anything it only makes the filmmakers look more desperate to try and make what's usually a weak storyline feel more epic.  'Assassin Club' is a prime example of this, @laagi I'd kill to hear your thoughts on that one!

On 6/17/2023 at 12:49 PM, Drunken Monk said:

It’s not as sleek as John Wick 4 but it’s not supposed to be.

Being completely honest, I enjoyed this more than 'John Wick 4'.

On 6/17/2023 at 7:46 PM, laagi said:

However it can't hide the fact that 'ExtraxtIIon' is just a generic rushed sequel.

I can't of feel that's a little harsh dude! I mean sure, if the sequel came out in 2021 it'd deserve being called "rushed", but with 3 years between the release of the original and this one I don't think you could accuse it of being made in a hurry.

20 hours ago, D1 Ma said:

The fake 1 shot scene really annoyed me. I always rant about those and my opinion on them hasn't changed with years. It's just a gimmick that adds little, but takes away a lot.

I think it adds a lot when you can watch a significant sequence containing a whole heap of action play out in real time. The technology to digitally stitch in post production and make multiple shots look like a seamless take gives the audience a unique perspective that we haven't had until recently. I'm sure there's going to be some not so stellar examples of it out there, but for me the one-shot sequences both here and in the original were stellar examples of action filmmaking that could only be achieved by someone who knows the craft.

20 hours ago, D1 Ma said:

There's absolutely no point of doing a whatever-min-long scene when at this day and age you can make the whole movie like that.

Someone already did with 2022's 'Carter'. 

20 hours ago, D1 Ma said:

I re-watched that action sequence from EXtraordinary Mission and I gotta say, to my tastes, that action from Extraordinary Mission was miles ahead in terms of directing, editing and choreography. But it's just me

Are you referring to the 2017 Chinese movie? If so, completely agree it's a fantastic action thriller, and far too underseen around these parts!

[laagi]

43 minutes ago, One Armed Boxer said:

'Assassin Club' is a prime example of this, @laagi I'd kill to hear your thoughts on that one!

I refuse to watch that turd! End of story  Thanks to your review obviously.

43 minutes ago, One Armed Boxer said:

I can't of feel that's a little harsh dude! I mean sure, if the sequel came out in 2021 it'd deserve being called "rushed", but with 3 years between the release of the original and this one I don't think you could accuse it of being made in a hurry.

True but what exactly did ExtractIIon add as compared to the first one besides more explosions and shoot outs? They literally spend 10 minutes between Rake's recovery and resurgence, before throwing him back into action. And if I recall correctly that was supposedly a time span of 9 months! I can't shake of the feeling that ouside of the action this feels absolutely rushed and moreover extremely lazy. 

To me it almost seems like they had those two? big action set pieces and half way through realized they needed some kind of story to connect it. And don't get me started on the characters; there's just zero development. I could've not cared less about any of them!

And it was also such a blatant attempt to create any kind of emotion when they decided to kill off one of the (main) characters. Which honestly anyone remotely trying to stay awake will see coming a mile away. It just doesn't work. I have to at least care a little bit for the characters but the movie doesn't give them a single minute to just breath. 

I appreciate some of the action but the rest is a big disappointment to me. I can't help it mate and I honestly was pretty excited for this sequel. But now I'm not even sure I wanna tune in for part III. 

43 minutes ago, One Armed Boxer said:

Being completely honest, I enjoyed this more than 'John Wick 4'.

Edited June 18, 2023 by laagi

[D1 Ma]

9 hours ago, One Armed Boxer said:

Someone already did with 2022's 'Carter'. 

Are you referring to the 2017 Chinese movie? If so, completely agree it's a fantastic action thriller, and far too underseen around these parts!

Yes, that was one of the movies I thought about while watching E2. They also did it in One Shot and some others

Yes, in particular, I was talking about the extraction sequence, very similar in premise to Hargrave's movies

[Drunken Monk]

Hemsworth announced at a recent event that Extraction 3 is already in the works.