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Reviews
Jimenshitachi (2024)
Good start, then it felt apart in the last 2 episodes
Everything stated so well as a 'con man' or heist series, there the right mix of suspense, wit, character development and fun in the series. You really wonder what happened to the con men that turn them into con men. You start caring for the characters cause they're not paper thin single dimensional characters. Things are going well in the first 5 or 6 episodes.
Then it fell apart really quick in the last 2 episodes. As if they're told they have to wrap it up all of a sudden, the series got really dumb in a hurry. Plot conveniences, irrational thinking, rushed pace... It would have been so much better if they stopped after 6 episodes and leave the rest in season 2. It was still worth the time to watch but it really fell apart towards the end.
Faan hei gong sum 2 (2024)
A big drop off from the first one
I loved the first one, it was funny, it had some really smart lines, it was warm, and the story flowed well. And thus I was disappointed at how far the sequel fell. It's trying to be too much and there's no flow to the story. For the same reason I don't think the original movie was successful just because of Wong chi-wah, I also don't think the sequel sucked because it's missing Wong chi-wah. The story is all over the places, the chemistry is fake and felt artificial. Yes I did laugh a few times in the movie, but I also kept checking my watch and couldn't wait till the movies over. The directors too ambitious and there's too much he's trying to tell with too little build up.
In the end I would rather watch the first dinner for 6 again than watch this sequel that's how I'd leave it at.
Napoleon (2023)
What a waste
It's got the budget, the cast, the set... And then it falls flat on its face. What a waste!
The script and Ridley Scott as director are probably the first to blame. The script is neither here or there. With a 2.5 hour run time, the script tries to be a bit of everything and it delivers on nothing. I'm not even looking for a historically correct story, but at least give me 'a story'. Does the script takes you through the rise and fall with napoleon in his storied life? Nope. Does the script deliver on war tactics, war action, or political strategy? Nope. How about love story between Napolean and Josephine? No. At least shed some lights on Napolean's personality and what drives him through his career? Nada. There isn't a story, at all. Instead you get glimpses of his life's major milestones in fast forward.
And boy oh boy, despite the strong cast, you get some really poor acting in this movie. This is, by far, the worst performance by Phoenix I've ever watched. He's primarily 'wooden' in the entire movie start to finish. It's almost as if he sleep-walks through the entire movie. There's absolutely no way you actually connect with Napolean's character at all. Kirby's Josephine isn't much better. Most of the movie you really can't understand why she acts the way she does, if she actually has feelings for Napolean, and/or when or why.
All in all, a total disaster of a movie. I gave it 5 stars because the set is amazing. Lots of attention to details with costume and set. And it's also great in 2023 someone still makes a movie of a historical figure.
But really, even if this was a free movie on Apple TV, I'm not sure it's worth the 2.5 hours for free.
Heart of Stone (2023)
Why does Netflix keep blowing $$ on these flops?
I have no idea why Netflix continues to invest in relatively big budget movie but misses out on the most basic thing - a good story.
Expectation's low, but no surprise the plot is stupid, illogical, defies common sense AND the law of physics. All characters are paper thing, there is no character development, there's no depth to any character. I also find it hilarious that as with all 'modern movies', the antagonist, who is a woman, turns out to be a misguided 'good person' because, of course, she was simply fooled by the real antagonist who happens to be a white guy, and he gets killed by the protagonist in the end so it's ok with 'modern audiences' ... I just find it funny cause that is SO predictable now.
Anyways, maybe given this is a Netflix movie, all that can be excusable. This is an action movie afterall, who cares about the plot, right?
But the action also kind sucks. It tries to be a poorman's M:I and falls short. Where it REALLY gets on my nerve is the poor videography in this movie. This movie claims to be a 4K Dolby Vision HDR10 quality movie. The picture is TERRIBLE. Picture is very grainy in bright or dark scene, color tone looks off, and worst of all, most of the time the focus is off. I had to double check to make sure my projector's setting wasn't screwed up cause no way the picture would look that bad.
Once again, Netflix invests in the movie, it's got the stars, it's got plenty of action scenes, car chase scenes, explosions, movie's set in multiple locations incl. Portugal and Iceland. It isn't a 'cheap' movie to make. Yet, another awful plot and some really messed up videography mess up the movie.
If you are a Gadot fan, the movie MAY have a passing grade as something you leave on in the background. Otherwise don't even bother.
And I continue to wait for a Netflix movie where they actually invest in a decent story.
The First Slam Dunk (2022)
A love letter to the fans who've been waiting for 26 years
I gave this movie a 9/10 but to be honest, big part of the score goes to the original Slam Dunk manga, which is a legend, and big part of my youth growing up.
I seriously thought it was an April fool joke when I read 2 years ago Inoue-san announced he was going to make a movie version of slam dunk. And I've been looking forward to this then, and it did not disappoint.
The biggest headache for Inoue-san was probably how could he re-tell such a classic story, which the fans must have re-read hundreds or even thousands of times by now, without making the movie redundant and unnecessary. And he's made some really smart choices here. The smartest choice of all, imo, is to re-tell the Sannon battle from Miyagi's perspective, and adding a lot of backdrop stories.
And manga fans get to re-live the Shohoku - Sannon battle with new backdrop stories, and re-live all the monumental touching moments in the story. And for fans like me, the 2 hours in the theatre felt like re-watching my first love right in front of my eyes years later, feeling like it's just happening for the first time.
The movie is not without flaw. I think for people who have not watched the original manga, the movie will feel pretty choppy. The editing would feel awkward. Especially in the Mitsui story. That would feel so incomplete and even a lot of "WTH" moments. Or likewise when Sakuraki saw flashbacks from his past when he was injured. But maybe there isn't a flawless way to re-tell a 31 books manga (or even the Sannon battle is like 4-5 books?) in a 2 hours movie.
Which is not to say new audience cannot enjoy this movie, but this would simply be a good sports movie to those not being familiar with the original manga. For the fans though, this is an amazing movie.
I can only hope Inoue-san would come up with the Second slam dunk, the third slam dunk, the forth slam dunk .... but hopefully it won't take another 26 years.
Rogue Agent (2022)
Interesting story, subpar story telling
It is a very interesting story, especially because it is based on a true story, and that kept us watching till the end of the story. But gosh, what terrible story telling.
The movie started in the 90's and for a second I thought the director purposely tried to direct the story with cut scene and camera angles from the same era cause that's how the movie looked ... that it's 30 years old. It's a shame because the story is so interesting, and when the truth is revealed it should send a chill right up your spine. That never happened because of poor directing and editing.
I do have to give Norton credit. I think he made the character so much more believable, to a point you CAN believe how the victims fall into the traps.
I think the movie was also a tad too long, it would be better if it was 15-20 min shorter. Still, we were entertained by the story, and it was worth the time.
Stowaway (2021)
Starts off well, then falls off a cliff, and ends with a thud
This movie starts off very well, there is mystery, there is suspense, and there's plenty of good acting from all 4 actors. Everything was looking up and up in the first and 2nd act.
And then it's almost like they changed the writer half way through the movie, and the plot gets really stupid in a hurry.
- Act 2 starts when the crew finds out there's a stowaway (Micheal) trapped behind a panel. How did he end up there? How did he survive the launch without a suit while trapped between equipment and interior panel? He clearly could not have put himself in that tight space and then screw the panel in from the outside, so who puts him there? All these critical questions were never answered in the movie.
- Zoe (Kendrick) has to go out there and sacrifice herself because she dropped the cyclinder of oxygen by mistake. But even when she's making her way back into the cabin long before she dropped it, me and my wife kept asking "Why do you carry the cyclinder with 1 hand and climb with only your remaining hand? Why not secure the cyclinder on your suit or your waist with a rope so you can use both hands to climb?" ... and then of course. Next scene she lost grip of the cyclinder and creates the whole sacrifice dilemma. Makes absolutely no sense.
In the end a movie that started so well were ruined by these gigantic plot holes. It's a shame cause it has so much potential.
Creed III (2023)
It's an OK finale to the Creed trilogy, but there are major flaws
First of all, never mind the controversies with Stallone not endorsing this movie ... that aside, this movie does an OK job wrapping up the Creed storyline, but just OK.
The Creed character, the illegitimate son of Apollo Creed, struggled with identity crisis in the first movie, and despite all the success in his day job, a wealthy (adopting) and loving family and everything that's going right in his life, he felt like "he's a mistake" because he's the illegitimate son of Apollo Creed, and the way he overcame that struggle was to be the world champion himself and create his own legend. That story-arc kinda worked in Creed I, which I thought was a nice 'appendix' to the Rocky storyline and begins a new storyline around this new character.
In Creed II, the series was very much about father-son struggle, you have Dragos and his son, and then you have Rocky and Creed. There are flaws, but at least there's a complete storyline in that.
What' Creed III about? Now that retired, Creed is retired from boxing. He runs a successful business representing and developing boxers, has an amazing family where Bianca is a producer. And the conflict comes when Creed's old "friend / brother" Dame from old times came out of prison and knocked on his door.
So at the end of the movie, does the story complete a story arc on friendship / brotherhood? No. They got into conflict, which sparked the big fight, and then, somehow, mysteriously, without explaination, they forgave each other over 18 years of hatred ... and they're friends again. Wow.
And did Creed go on a character development arc himself? Let's see, he was this rich wealthy retired boxer family man in the beginning of the movie, and at the end of the movie he's ... oh retired boxer family man with 1 more title under his belt. Did he overcome anything in getting over this rift with Dame? Learn anything? Develop any character? No.
The movie feels dragged in the beginning and rushed towards the end, there is no interesting conflict or development. I fail to feel the pain or struggle of any character in the movie ... maybe I emphasized Dame in the beginning of the movie but not so much after he turns out to be a jerk. Dame took the fall for Creed for 18 years, but we learn very little about how he feels or the pain or struggles or losses he went through because the movie never told us. We also didn't know how close him and Creed were before that faithful night because again, the story didn't tell us. I almost laughed when Bianca said it is difficult to see another singer singing her song cause she can't sing anymore. Gosh, when I look at the gorgeous house you have, the clothes you wear, the beautiful family and outrageous lifestyle ... it's pretty hard to feel any character has any 'difficulty' in this movie.
Now if you go in strictly for the boxing fight scenes, they're alright. Jordan tries some new stuffs in the final fight and though it may rub ppl off the wrong way (it feels more like a game cut scene) but otherwise the fight is ok. I just never understand why Dame fought dirty in the previous fight but he didn't vs. Creed ... but at that point of the movie I gave up trying to make sense out of this movie anymore.
Which is not to say this movie is a total waste of time. It delivers on closing the Creed story with a final chapter ... and at the pace how Creed trilogy has degraded, I hope it is final.
Boku dake ga inai machi (2017)
Starts off well, then falls off a cliff ...
I never watched the original manga / animation, so this is purely a review of the Netflix series from someone with no pre-established expectation and bias.
The story started with the premise of someone who's made certain grave mistakes in his life (or feels like he's made those bad decisions) and has the ability to go back in time and correct them ... not entirely a novel idea, but there's a sense of mystery / suspense in it, and I enjoyed binge-watching the first few episodes. It was a solid 7/10 for the first half of the story.
And then it took a wrong turn, and without spoling the story (but to be honest, there's not much to spoil) it went down an extremly predictable good vs. Evil storyline. I don't know why, but the time travel element was just removed all of a sudden with no explanation. The main premise which made the story somewhat special is gone all of a sudden, and the story is bland as hell all of a sudden.
Worse, once the mystery of the plot is gone, the poor acting by all actors in general is painfully obvious. The actors, for the most part, are just spitting out lines. You can't feel the inner struggle, pain, sacrifice, fear ... of ANY actor.
I don't know how the original manga ended, but it was a huge letdown past the midpoint of the series. The only saving grace was that each episode is only ~ 20 min, so it's easiler to swallow. Still, every episode felt painfully long.
If you are really into time travel stories and you've run out of content to watch then maybe this one's worth the time. But otherwise there are lots of better choices out there and I'd just skip this one.
Duk sit dai jong (2023)
A psuedo "Feel good" movie that unfortunately has way too many holes
This movie is marketed as a movie that make the average Joe (especially if you were a Hong Kong citizen) "feel good". I'd say, to a certain extent, mission accomplished ... but with lots and lots of flaws.
It's ironic the protaganist, Dayo Wang's character talks about "Common sense" in the court scenes in this movie, because common sense is exactly what this movie really lacks. A good story should have surprises and twists, that much is true, but the twists gotta be within the boundaries defined by common sense and logic. That is, unfortunately, where this movie fails.
It tries SO HARD to create a rich vs poor contrast. And how the rich can literally run the table even in the courthose, to a point all the common sense gets thrown out of the window. But you have to remember, at the end of the day, the entire movie is based on a court case, and the courthouse has rules and governance. How can the prosecutor just flat out asks questions that accuses his own witness? Why would the judge allow the laywers to freely give a 5 min monologue of their own sentiments unrelated to the case? Why is there no order in court?
And the case has plenty of holes in it too, common sense is twisted, basic logic is bent, just to create this big contrast between the rich and powerful vs the poor and helpless. The rich use their political power to keep Dayo Wong in police custody, and then at 11th hour he just gave up the name of the PI and the police would let him go? Really? That's it?
The movie has the right intentions, it rallys the emotion of the average Joe's in the society who feel so powerless vs. The rich in Hong Kong. It sure has its moments too. Yet at the end of the day, the foundation which the movie tension is built upon is simply way too fictious, it ignores defined court and society laws and procedures, it just feels forced and childish.
Xiang jian ni (2022)
Such a shame
Coming from how well thought out the tv series' plot is, and how the tv series is one of the best Asian TV series of the year, the movie is such a disappointment. To a point when I walk out from the theater, I couldn't help but feel the movie is all but a half effort cash grab leeching off the success of the original tv series.
From the get go the movie is obviously caught in a awkward dilemma of deciding whether it wants to be a standalone movie, or some sort of sequel / extension of the tv series. And I really don't know which one it is at the end of the movie, and it's a shame regardless which angle you're coming from, the movie is still a serious letdown.
The biggest culprit here is the story. The plot is extremely messy. Without spoiling the story, I'll say Act I is fine. It even has some nice fan moments. But in Act II and Act III the plot has created such a messy scenario that 1. Nobody can really tell what's going on anymore and 2. It's an impossible puzzle to solve. And finally in Act IV, without a real reasonable way to wrap up the story, the movie just makes up the most ridiculous and illogical ending. On a scale of 10 where 10 is a complete WTF, this rates fairly close to a 10 imo. While watching at the theater, I overheard the audience behind me saying 'if this is how the story ends im going to explode.'.... Unfortunately that's exactly how it 'ended'.
The pacing of the movie is fine. It feels dragged and slow in Act II, but it's mainly due to the weak and convoluted storyline. Acting is actually great IMO. Alice Ko especially stands out where if you're ever confused which character she's playing, it's because there's a plot twist. And there's no weak acting in this movie. And all this is such a shame. The actors do their best to make the characters believable, but there's no saving of this disastrous plot.
The only reason I gave it a 5 is there are a handful of nice fan moments to reward the fans of the tv series. Unfortunately those are all you will get out of this disappointing movie.
The Menu (2022)
Like the originality, but while the movie takes shot a pretentious foodie, it is bordering on a pretentious movie itself
It is original, and the first 15 min sets you up for expectation. Ultimately the rest of the movie falls WAY short of the original setup.
It's ironic that one of the things I enjoyed about the early part of the movie is taking shot at the pretentious foodies, and the movie pretty quickly takes a turn down the wrong path towards being pretentious too.
Originality is great, but at some point when all of the characters just loses common sense and acts 100% out of what a normal person would react under the same circumstsances, that's when you just give up on following the story.
And the movie never even attempts to answer the million WHYs a normal audience would have. WHY do all the staffs act like brain-washed puppets to a point of death? WHY do the guests don't put up a bigger fights collectively when they know they're gonna get killed?
I think I do have an appetite for weird, quirky movie as long as they're somewhat within reasons, but this one sure borders on artsy movie that's trying too hard to be different just for the sake of it, and I did not enjoy this at all.
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
Overhyped, weird, boring movie
IMDB ratings usually align with what I like or don't like, but this is unfortunately an exception where I think the imdb rating is way overhyped.
First of all, I DO get this movie. I understand what it is trying to express, and I have no problem following the story (if you call it that) throughout the plot. BUT, the story is no doubt weird, and at times, unnecessarily gross and slightly disturbing. I just think the philosophical questions that the movie is trying to explore can be done in a MUCH more relevant way (like, fighting with dildo's? Making universe jumps by poking your own ass? .... really?) ... you wonder how sober the script writer was.
And when i watched the movie, I couldn't help checking my watch cause the movie felt slow and boring, and I noticed quite a lot of people left the theater half-way through too. In hindsight, I should have too, now that's 2 hours I can never get back in my life.
Lang Ya Bang Zhi Feng Qi Chang Lin (2017)
Not even close ...
It's a shame this series is called "Nirvana in Fire II" ... cause not only it doesn't come close to deliver the level of the original series, it is nothing like the original either.
While the original series is clever, calculating, had a well thought out, comprehensive plot, this series doesn't even try to follow the footstep of the original. The plot for this series is simple, naive, and most of the times you've got a feeling they just make it up as they shoot the series. And as the series goes along the plot gets so predictable, so drama-cliche to a point it's almost comical.
I wouldn't say it's a total waste of time, but it's a very average, run-of-the-mills ancient Chinese imperial series with some love subplots. Thus, going back to my original point, standalone this series would be pretty meh, but it's a shame it is called "Nirvana in Fire II" and it falls WAAAAAY short of that name.
Uncharted (2022)
Decent adventure movie
I didn't play the game, so I have no fan-bias. I was just hoping for a decent adventure movie along the lines of (but obviously not nearly as good as) the Mummy or Indiana Jones series .... and the movie ALMOST delivers to that low expectation.
Plot is extremly predictable, which is OK. Action scenes are only decent, acting is pretty horrible but that's mainly the fault of hollow characters and no character development whatsoever in the movie.
I watched this movie on demand for $7, and in hindsight I'd say I should have waited for it to make it to Netflix or Prime.
Yang ming li wan (2021)
Wow, that was a surprise
This movie is not your average run-of-the-mills big budget heavy CG'ed boring plot movie that is so typical of Chinese production over the past few years. It is a very special movie, that walks a fine line between comedy, satire, suspense and mystery. And the director shows strong composure in keeping everything in balance while moving the plot along that fine line, which is not easy at all.
The plot is smart, albeit maybe a little unrealistic (but it's a movie!) The acting is good, the movie started off as a comedy but I was involved in all the characters and quite moved towards the end.
Sure the movie is not without its flaws, but overall it was entertaining, it was moving, and it is not predictable. And to top it all off, it is brave given the political situation in China to make a movie with this message. I was quite pleasantly surprised and entertained by this flick, well done.
The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
It wouldn't be a total waste of time, and that's ONLY IF you are a huge fan of the original trilogy
I love the Matrix (1999) and I thought overall Reloaded was pretty good too. Revolution was a disappointing ending to the trilogy, nevertheless I didn't consider any of the trilogy a waste of time.
Despite all the bad reviews, I knew when they made the 4th movie I was going to watch it anyways. And even as a forgiving fan of the franchise, and even with poor expectation, I still find Matrix 4 Resurrections very meh.
Let's touch on the positives first. As a fan, watching Neo and Trinity again is like meeting old friends again. And all things considered, it's been 18 years afterall, but time has been rather kind to Reeves and Moss. Do I think they have the same chemistry they had in the original trilogy 18 years later? No. But it was nice seeing the 2 characters on big screen again.
And I also gotta give kudos to the movie for making fun of a lot of things from the original trilogy. The jokes are all told in a very weird way, because of the setting of the plot, but frankly I kinda enjoyed them. There's a LOT of homage to the original movies too.
Unfortunately that's where the positives end.
The plot is super convoluted, very messy, it makes little sense, and it's stuck at an awkward pace between paying homage to the original vs. Moving a new storyline forward.
I also hate how both the characters of Neo and Trinity are not consistent with the originals. The chemistry between Reeves and Moss seem to be gone as well.
Action is very lacking, there's nothing new either.
All in all it is a completely unnecessary movie, and as forgiving as I try to be, all I can say is while this movie isn't a complete waste of time, your time is better spent watching Matrix I, even for the 1000th time, than watching this movie for the first time.
Red Notice (2021)
A solid roller coaster ride, if you can overlook all the cliches and plot holes
I kinda had meh expectation for this movie because many big star Netflix flicks have been flops. This one, fortunately, was well worth the time if you can overlook its flaws.
And its flaws are plenty. The plot cannot hold ANY water as it's full of holes. The characters' personalities flip-flops to fit into the storyline, and there are TONS of cliches and plot twists that again, makes little sense except for the sake of having plot twists.
Look beyond all those though, the movie is actually a lot of FUN. The plot unfolds quickly and smoothly, and the pace is fast. For all its flaws, at least you never feel bored. Gal Gadot looks stunning in this movie, Ryan Reynolds is hilarious and the Rock is the Rock. All I looked for was a fun roller coaster ride and for that it sure delivered.
No this isn't a movie that's gonna make you think about the meaning of life, nor is it one that make you laugh so hard you fall off your chair, but it is a fun 2 hours roller coaster ride action adventure movie, and I sure don't mind if Netflix keeps making movies like this.
No Time to Die (2021)
Solid action flick, just not a Bond movie.
I get why ppl are angry with this movie. As the last Bond movie by Daniel Craig, this is even more disappointing because this is not a Bond movie.
First of all, Bond never dies. I think it's especially stupid where Bond dies in the end and then 5 min later you put 5 big words on the post credit scene "James Bond will be back." Huh? Then why did you kill him? It's just wrong to kill Bond.
Second of all, the plot is stupid. Bond movies have always been about the spy and his mission. There is no mission here. The plot is stupid, it makes no sense and as hard as they try to squeeze a few drops of tears from me I just have no emotional engagement in the whole movie. I can't feel any chemistry between Bond and his 'wife', and maybe it's me but the whole James Bond the family man thing ... i just don't buy it.
All that said, I still give the movie a solid 7, and that's because if you forget for a second this is a James Bond movie then it is a pretty solid action spy flick. The action is great, despite the movie being 3 hour long I never really felt bored. Cinemagraphy is beautiful, and Craig's performance is superb. There are lots to like about the movie IF you can forget it is a Bond movie.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
Decent superhero flick, but shallow plot and waste of good actors
It's a decent fun adventure movie, and it is very much your run of the mills marvel superhero movie these days. You got action, fight scenes, CG, and a decent share of jokes here and there. But beyond that, Shang Chi is another wasted opportunity, because the plot is so shallow it really makes no sense. I never quite get why Shang Chi hated his dad so much, nor exactly what his dad's feeling is towards his kids. The plot takes you whatever way is convenient to get to the next big scene, and there is no character development or even any consistency. Nevertheless if you are fine with an action adventure roller coaster and don't care about acting or story telling, this one fits the bi. Solid 7 from me.
Jungle Cruise (2021)
Not quite Indiana Jones, but a Worthwhile action adventure flick
Indiana Jones was my favorite series that I can rewatch over and over. I don't know why they stop making fun adventure movies like those. So while this isn't quite Indiana Jones, but this is fun, fast paced, action packed, and it's a worthy 2 hours of roller coaster ride.
47 Ronin (2013)
It's not that bad ... but it's not great either
Given all the bad reviews, and that the 47 ronin has always been an interesting topic to me, I watched the movie afterall and end up with mixed feelings.
On one hand I knew it was a Hollywoord / western interpretation of the 47 ronin story, so I knew they would take liberty with the historical events. That's fine. I didn't mind the witch, the dragons etc one bit. In fact I applaud the CG was quite nicely done.
On the other hand I think the 'adaptation' REALLY falls short of the mark when it misses on the most critical elements of the story. For example, the LOYALTY of the 47 to their lord. The SACRIFICE they were willing to make. The movie completely ignores most of the 47, and really focused on 2 leads out of the 47, instead of the whole group and the dynamics of all of them.
So, in the end I think it is still an entertaining movie if you are into this fantasy / Japanese samuria genre, just that it could have delivered so much more.
Chak dan juen ga 2 (2020)
It's a decent action flick if you can shut down your brain for logic for 2 hours ... but with 1 serious problem
The good thing about a lot of Herman Yau's movies is good or bad, they don't drag. He understands action is his strength and he doesn't waste much time in character development or melodrama setup. And I believe for the most part the movie delivers on the.fast paced action. Andy Lau's character is much deeper than his usual HK action hero setup and surprisingly, I think he did a good job with it too. Sean Lau OTOH, has very little to work with for his character and when the movie ends you can barely remember much about his character other than it just keep the plot going.
But assuming most audience are in the theatre for the action I think a few of the bomb defusing scenes do keep you on the edge of your seats. Now there are things that make no sense logically in the movie (for starter, just because you jump into a swimming pool it doesn't mean you can survive a jump from 10 stories high), and the plot twists also makes no sense if you come to think of it - the police chiefs who you told the audience just 10 minutes ago are too chicken to take the risk and do the right things, all of a sudden buys into a super risky proposal which they have nothing to gain from. But just forget logic and fine, you can at least enjoy the twists and the action ... and the action scenes don't disappoint ...
... with the exception of 1 major problem : the subway train scenes (it is not a spoiler, you see that in the first min of the movie). That is, by far, the WORST CG I have seen in a movie since maybe the late 90's. What the heck was that? The movie seems to have overachieve with a limited budget and the result was pretty disastrous visually. I don't think that is acceptable even for a TV series in 2021, never mind a blockbuster movie. I tried to overlook but it was a pretty glaring letdown.
All in all, good action flick with a weak plot that makes little sense, a few misses here and there but it's still a solid 7/10 to me.