Skip to content

Recent Posts

  • If You’re Trying to Explain Away the Death of Rayshard Brooks, You Don’t Want to See the Systemic Problem
  • The Rise, Fall and Suicide Letter of MoviePass
  • Hot Take: Second Act
  • The First 25 Movies of the Next 100 Movies of 2018, Graded
  • Hot Take: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Movie Hot Take

Wasting $8 On Popcorn So You Don't Have To...

Primary Navigation Menu
Menu
  • Home
  • Top Movies of 2018
  • 2017
  • 2016
  • 2015
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Hot Take: American Ultra

Hot Take: Is it OK if I say you might want to skip it? (Especially if you have high expectations… Sorry, couldn’t help myself!)

American Ultra might be dubbed a stoner, action comedy but it’s more a violent, end of summer leftover with an occasional laugh and some drugs.

If anything, the stoner portrayal is a lazy driver of the narrative that both Jesse Eisenberg’s Mike Howell and Kristen Stewart’s Phoebe Larson are unmotivated and unaccomplished. It might be the first movie featuring weed without using it as a comedic device.

The movie is violent along the lines of Kick-Ass. Okay, maybe not that violent but it’s pretty darn violent. For Ultra to really work, it would be advised to go in giving the movie little thought and staying there throughout.

“Spoiler Free” Pros:

  • It’s Easy to Root For Eisenberg & Stewart
    The pairing of Eisenberg and Stewart works as a couple. If anything, American Ultra has put 2009’s Adventureland on my “Movies I Missed And Need to See” list.
  • The Occasional Comedy Is Very Funny
    There’s not enough of it but when Ultra tries to be funny, it’s funny. John Leguizamo gets laughs as drug dealer Rose. His henchmen Lavelle Crawford and Sam Malone are also funny. A poorly timed bathroom trip and you’ll miss it, though.
  • The Cartoonish Action Goes Well With The Ultra-Violence
    If the action was more realistic, the over-the-top violence might be a little unnerving. However, the action is as unbelievable as the resulting damage done.

“Spoiler Free” Cons:

  • Topher Grace
    Is movie Topher Grace capable of playing anything other than a complete asshat?
  • The Opening “Rewind” Is A Let Down
    We’ve already seen too much in the trailer (a problem many subpar releases have). This roll back through the entire movie is way too foreshadowing.
  • Does Every Movie Have to Have A Sequel Set-Up?
    Is this a spoiler anymore? The story continues at the end enough for one to speculate “Can they really make an American Ultra 2?”

Share this:

  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest

Related

2015-08-21
By: Brian Joseph
On: August 21, 2015
In: 2015, Hot Take
Previous Post: Trailer Hot Take: Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse
Next Post: Hot Take: Hitman: Agent 47

Recent Posts

  • If You’re Trying to Explain Away the Death of Rayshard Brooks, You Don’t Want to See the Systemic Problem
  • The Rise, Fall and Suicide Letter of MoviePass
  • Hot Take: Second Act
  • The First 25 Movies of the Next 100 Movies of 2018, Graded
  • Hot Take: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Recent Comments

  • Scott on Hot Take: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
  • BobJ27 on Hot Take: Second Act
  • Bob J. on The First 25 Movies of the Next 100 Movies of 2018, Graded
  • Brian Joseph on Hot Take: Ralph Breaks the Internet
  • Bob J. on Hot Take: Ralph Breaks the Internet

Categories

  • #5LinkMinimum (4)
  • 10 Things (6)
  • 1968 (1)
  • 1980 (1)
  • 1981 (2)
  • 1985 (1)
  • 1988 (1)
  • 2006 (1)
  • 2013 (1)
  • 2014 (5)
  • 2015 (127)
  • 2016 (270)
  • 2017 (169)
  • 2018 (133)
  • 7 Days (6)
  • Burning Questions (1)
  • BuRStS (86)
  • Hot Take (662)
  • Lists (24)
  • music videos (1)
  • Podcasts (1)
  • Ranked (43)
  • Spoiler Alert (1)
  • To See or Not To See (32)
  • Top Movies (7)
  • Trailers (120)
  • TV Shows (1)
  • Uncategorized (15)
  • Weigh In (13)

Archives

  • June 2020 (1)
  • September 2019 (1)
  • January 2019 (3)
  • December 2018 (6)
  • November 2018 (8)
  • October 2018 (10)
  • September 2018 (9)
  • August 2018 (16)
  • July 2018 (16)
  • June 2018 (16)
  • May 2018 (9)
  • April 2018 (18)
  • March 2018 (11)
  • February 2018 (17)
  • January 2018 (12)
  • December 2017 (7)
  • November 2017 (13)
  • October 2017 (15)
  • September 2017 (14)
  • August 2017 (20)
  • July 2017 (15)
  • June 2017 (16)
  • May 2017 (24)
  • April 2017 (25)
  • March 2017 (17)
  • February 2017 (17)
  • January 2017 (25)
  • December 2016 (6)
  • November 2016 (23)
  • October 2016 (24)
  • September 2016 (26)
  • August 2016 (28)
  • July 2016 (25)
  • June 2016 (32)
  • May 2016 (38)
  • April 2016 (36)
  • March 2016 (31)
  • February 2016 (26)
  • January 2016 (23)
  • December 2015 (19)
  • November 2015 (40)
  • October 2015 (34)
  • September 2015 (51)
  • August 2015 (25)

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Designed using Dispatch. Powered by WordPress.