Explosive
Summary
Afterburn has a great cast with some decent action including a fight between Bautista and Daniel Berhardt which is one of the highlights. The pacing isn’t always perfect, but this is still a fun ride.
Plot: After a massive solar flare destroys the Earth’s eastern hemisphere, an emboldened treasure hunter for hire adventures to Europe to uncover the coveted Mona Lisa, only to learn the world needs a hero more than it needs a painting.
Review: This was one of those films that was announced, which I was certainly curious about due to the cast and, particularly, the director involved, as I had enjoyed both of his previous films.
Afterburn ended up being a fun post-apocalyptic film that mostly delivered on its premise. Both Dave Bautista and Olga Kurylenko make for an intriguing pair giving us characters who are interesting and don’t feel one-note.
We also get some fun villains in Kristofer Hivju and Daniel Bernhardt who help elevate the material that they’re given.
Now, just a heads up. There’s not as much action as you expect for a JJ Perry film but what is there is very satisfying, in particular an extended chase scene which is delivered on the spectacle. You also get some solid fights including one brief fight between Bautista and Bernhardt.
The story for the most part is intriguing but it does suffer from certain pacing issues that make certain scenes longer than they should.
One aspect I especially loved was the score by Roque Banos which felt like a throwback to 80s or 90s action films.
Overall, Afterburn is a fun film that utilizes its cast well, has a great score, features some good direction by JJ Perry, and has an interesting story.