Ryan Shoots First: Extraction 2
Netflix gets into the summer blockbuster action with the follow-up to its Chris Hemsworth action exclusive Extraction. We really liked the first film and you can go read our review while the ending of that one may not have seemed like a sequel was possible Hollywood always finds a way…
Luckily the second installment wastes no time in explaining what happened and we’re off. I love they went to the effort to at least try to own that they knew what they were doing would need explaining. We get to dive deeper into what drives Hemsworth’s character Tyler. In his rehab and retirement, the film explores how his entire life to this moment fits into one shoebox. Now what is he left with and where does he go? It’s a nice development from the first film that really only showed the determined skilled badass but now we see a little more about what drives him and what happens when he’s forced to reset. Not to mention it’s always cool when Chris gets to use his native accent. Of course, it’s not long before he’s dragged back into the game by a big name in Idris Elba who plays Alcott. He introduces our two villains, a rough set of brothers who run things from inside and outside of the jail in Georgia, the country not the state. They are pretty hardcore and have a pretty nice intro at the beginning of the film.
After a nice montage, we see Tyler go from almost legally dead to back in the game like any action movie worth it’s salt. With that Tyler is back in the lion’s den, I mean for his first mission back after being legally dead he breaks INTO a prison. The movie gives off some great Metal Gear Solid vibes and being one of my favorite games that lacks a movie I will take my fix wherever we can get it. Also with Call of Duty’s new DMZ extraction mode being so popular now this really hits at the right time. The action is breakneck and the movie wastes very little time getting Tyler back in the swing of things. Something about watching competent skilled bad-asses do their thing is so cool. Hemsworth brings his calm cool intensity and has some absolutely brutal kills and takedowns. There is one scene with a ton of extras where he has to fight his way through a riot. It’s tense and is all done in one shot. If you’ve read any of my reviews you know I love a good tracking shot, now add a ton of extras and even though they hide some edits the effect really lands. And most of this is in the first half of the film! Somehow the finale manages to be even bigger its almost like two movies in one.
Extraction 2 is everything you want in a Military action film, great fights, styled execution, and intensity cranked to 11. Similar to the first film once it hits the fan it doesn’t stop till the walls are covered. So even though you can’t mooch your parent’s Netflix account anymore it is still worth figuring out a way to spend this weekend in the Blockbuster season at home.
