Valiant One

Valiant One (2025) is a movie I only found out about when I watched Gladiator II (2024) at the theater and saw the trailer previews. Well I just finished watching the movie hours ago and it was very mediocre.

Positives for Valiant One (2025): This movie works best as an unironic watch as it stars Chase Stokes (John B from Outer Banks) and Lana Condor (Lara Jean from the To All the Boys Trilogy). I'll also give them credit for their performances as they are the best parts in the movie. There are some decent enough shootouts throughout the movie. And finally, the movie does move at a fast pace where it doesn't overstay its welcome.

Negatives for Valiant One (2025): The movie's runtime is too short at only 86 minutes long. Because of this, there isn't time to develop the characters, the story, themes or drama. Aside from John B and Lara Jean, I didn't care about any of the characters The movie feels like it was made from only $5 million and it definitely shows in the final product. And finally, the movie feels like a generic U. S. Military action thriller movie that would go straight-to-DVD.

Overall, Valiant One (2025) is a mediocre mess with two good lead performances and decent action, but a messy plot and dumber execution.

The story is fairly good. This movie is full of very young Netflix actors and and miscast in several roles. This isn't the Outer Banks lol. The directing is fair to good and some of the action is good in parts but as a whole is not even close to believable. I think with the right actors this movie could have been better. The main flaw is the lead actor and he thinks he's in Outer Banks, which he was good in just not good in this movie. He's the wrong look for a military man. I like the North Korean idea on tension. Honestly at times the actions of the soldiers makes our military look bad even though I do not think they wanted that. The military advisors failed in this movie!

Something that's creeping into more and more films I'm noticing is beginning with a scene from the end and then flashing back to however long before to find out how they got there. I suspect it's related to the success of 'The White Lotus' but it needs to stop. It adds nothing to the film and it takes all the suspense out of earlier scenes when those characters are in peril.

'Valiant One' was a passable movie. It's very short which helps it hide a lot of its flaws. It knew it had to get in and get out and it did. And the flaws are there if you look hard enough. The acting isn't great, there a number of highly implausible scenes and the characters are all over the place.

But if you switch your brain off and just decide to have a good time for 80 minutes then the film can work. Military survival films are always fun on some level. 6/10.

Chase Stokes' performance in this film leaves much to be desired. Just absolutely awful on every level. In my opinion, he stands out as one of the least impressive actors in Hollywood. His makeup and lip gloss usage in this movie surpasses that of a Kardashian, which is puzzling and just unreal, especially for a role meant to portray a US soldier in North Korea. Frankly, it's hard to understand how he was chosen for such a part. His acting is overly dramatic and falls beneath even mediocre standards. Actors like him often seem more focused on their appearance on camera rather than the authenticity of the film or connecting with the audience. There were certainly other actors who could have done a much better job. It's perplexing and sad to see someone who's trying to present a "pretty boy" image in a military setting. Unfortunately, Chase Stokes contributes to the film's shortcomings and low rating. He may want to reconsider his acting career or return to drama roles, as this portrayal in this type of movie is not convincing at all. His acting is just awful. Not 130 you look like an actual military soldier again he was too focused on what the camera thought of him. It's sad to observe that Hollywood struggles to find a suitable soldier/candidate for a genuine military role, opting instead for an actor who lacks the maturity and skill needed for such a character. I can't say enough bad things about Chase Stokes other than he is one of the worst actors I have ever seen in a military movie. Maybe go back to being a mediocre little backstreet boy in a drama--This military movie stuff is definitely not for you.

It seems I liked this movie more than most. I guess it's because it entertained me. I totally agree that the movie was poorly shot and the scenes and logic were weak. It was overall slow, slower than it needed to be, but i get the feeling they were going for. The ending was just ridiculous to me, but I won't even get into it. Regardless, I did enjoy the concept and trying to put myself into that situation. I've really started enjoying war movies more than i ever have so that may play a role into why I feel the way I do about it. That being said, this isn't one I would go out and buy.

Watched at AMC on 2-5-2025.