**SPOILER ALERT**
I've never been a big Affleck fan. However, his performance in, "The Tender Bar," impressed me enough to give him another chance. So without reading a synopsis or review or even watching a trailer, off I went, to see "Hypnotic." No more than 15 mins in, I was wriggling in my seat. Affleck had returned to the stilted, one-dimensional and boring actor that I remembered all too well. His 1 1/2 kinds of facial expressions got old, fast. His partner had way more energy thank God.
I guess about an hour in, I realized that I was watching a poorly stitched together amalgam of "Inception," "Shutter Island," "The Truman Show," "Memento" and another film whose name now escapes me. Even with borrowing material and concepts from these other better movies, "Hypnotic" still couldn't find its footing as a credible or serious film. Note, I like Alice Braga a lot. She definitely injected some life but not enough to counter Affleck's smug, lifeless performance.
I was not alone. The audience around me was laughing in disbelief right along with me. I could hear sighs and audible comments like, "Oh c'mon" and "This is so stupid." I could not disagree.
Hoping for the end, it came eventually. Even that was long and drawn out. What were they doing?
I got outta there as soon as the word "Hypnotic" appeared on the screen, signaling the END.
I couldn't help but think of Affleck's best friend Matt Damon, seen in the "Oppenheimer" trailer preceding this film. He is so far ahead of Ben as a performer. That's why he's starring in what will surely be one of the biggest summer movies that actually has substance and grit, to come along in quite awhile. Even in "Air," Affleck is once again playing a smug character. No stretch there. And Damon is well, so much better.
I've never been a big Affleck fan. However, his performance in, "The Tender Bar," impressed me enough to give him another chance. So without reading a synopsis or review or even watching a trailer, off I went, to see "Hypnotic." No more than 15 mins in, I was wriggling in my seat. Affleck had returned to the stilted, one-dimensional and boring actor that I remembered all too well. His 1 1/2 kinds of facial expressions got old, fast. His partner had way more energy thank God.
I guess about an hour in, I realized that I was watching a poorly stitched together amalgam of "Inception," "Shutter Island," "The Truman Show," "Memento" and another film whose name now escapes me. Even with borrowing material and concepts from these other better movies, "Hypnotic" still couldn't find its footing as a credible or serious film. Note, I like Alice Braga a lot. She definitely injected some life but not enough to counter Affleck's smug, lifeless performance.
I was not alone. The audience around me was laughing in disbelief right along with me. I could hear sighs and audible comments like, "Oh c'mon" and "This is so stupid." I could not disagree.
Hoping for the end, it came eventually. Even that was long and drawn out. What were they doing?
I got outta there as soon as the word "Hypnotic" appeared on the screen, signaling the END.
I couldn't help but think of Affleck's best friend Matt Damon, seen in the "Oppenheimer" trailer preceding this film. He is so far ahead of Ben as a performer. That's why he's starring in what will surely be one of the biggest summer movies that actually has substance and grit, to come along in quite awhile. Even in "Air," Affleck is once again playing a smug character. No stretch there. And Damon is well, so much better.