Samaritan (2022)

[Silver Nemesis]

Stallone's latest movie, in which he plays an aging superhero, is being released on Amazon Prime on August 26th. Here's the trailer.

[thecolorsblend]

Yes, this is a superhero movie that I think I could actually get into.

No, it's not just because of Stallone. But that definitely helps.

[Silver Nemesis]

The trailer gives me an Eastrail 177 meets The Dark Knight Returns vibe. I'd rather it was rated R than PG-13, but I'm willing to give it a look.

[The Joker]

I'm there.

For better or worse, any movie with Sly, I'll check out at least once. Pretty cool to see what appears to be Sly digging into the superhero genre a little bit deeper after having already appeared in ensemble-led Marvel/DC films.

[thecolorsblend]

The trailer gives me an Eastrail 177 meets The Dark Knight Returns vibe.

I typed something similar... and then deleted it because I wondered if it was just me.

I'd rather it was rated R than PG-13, but I'm willing to give it a look.

Same. And same.

[Silver Nemesis]

I watched this last night. It was ok, but I think I would have liked it more if it had come out ten or fifteen years ago.

We've been so oversaturated with superhero films and TV shows lately that new IPs like Samaritan need to bring something fresh and inventive to the table if they hope to stand out. Unfortunately Samaritan doesn't. It's exactly what it looks like and the plot goes exactly where you expect it to go. There is a twist concerning Stallone's character, but it's very predictable and I called it about halfway through the movie.

It's not bad though. Stallone fans in particular should enjoy it. I did, though not enough that I'd bother watching it again. If I were to highlight specific flaws, other than how generic and unremarkable it is, I'd say that the violence and grittiness sometimes feel inhibited by the PG-13 rating. It would have benefited from the freedom afforded by an R-rating. I also think the mythology surrounding Samaritan and Nemesis, which forms the bedrock of the narrative, is underdeveloped.

But Stallone's good, and the movie as a whole is well paced and doesn't outstay its welcome with an overlong running time. That's basically all I've got to say about it. There's nothing groundbreaking or really memorable about Samaritan. It's not as good as similar films like Unbreakable or Split, and if we're talking Stallone superhero movies then my favourite is still Judge Dredd. But it's diverting enough while it lasts and I had fun watching it.

[The Joker]

Duly noted review, Silver.

Haven't really had the time to check this out yet, but I'll be keeping my expectations in check. If anything, sounds like a fairly breezy watch.