The long-awaited Extraction 2 is here, and the hype about it is all around. After two weeks of its release, I finally went to my downloads since then to watch it. And, to the least of my expectations, I was impressed by certain things about it.
Action films aren't the type of films I'd be excited to watch, mostly because a large number of them often lack the depth I seek to feel truly entertained. It's all fast cars, punches, broken bottles, and too many cheesy lines sometimes. It's all entertaining, indeed, but I usually prefer deeper things.
This film is totally action-oriented, though. But there are particular things that I really liked about it and would like to document. For one, there are subliminal morals taught in this film; beneath the fists and guns are truths and lessons that are undeniable.
I initially feared that I would need to go over the first part to grasp the concept of this film—and that largely contributed to my reluctance—but I thought to give it a try and hope that I would catch on quickly. I was right. Not long after the film started and I saw familiar faces, certain things started coming back to me. I started to remember bits of what had happened before.
I would say, though, that knowing what happened before isn't all that necessary to enjoy the film. It only provides a wider concept of some things, thereby providing more depth.
The film, behind all the drama, explores the influence bonds can have over our decisions, how we impact our kids, the resolutions one may come to when they lose someone, and the effect of the environment and people we grow up with.
For a man who didn't feel like he did enough as a father before losing his child, there may be that longing to make things right, and this could go deep. Another, who grew up in an environment where every day felt like war, has been so hardened at heart that he grows so cold and basically doesn't have the best of temperaments.
Another reflection in this story is the depths to which parents can go for their children. In this case, we see a mother who is in an unhealthy relationship with the father of her children, and it is rather detrimental to the upbringing of the children. She is willing to do all she can to secure a normal and healthy life for the kids—even at the cost of her life.
It can be rather disappointing to have a film go on longer than it should simply because there are too many redundant parts to it. It can happen in any genre, actually. One would just find them beating about the bush just to lengthen the film. This film, however, was cooked well in this aspect.
The film begins with some flashbacks to what happened before that caused our protagonist to be in the life-threatening situation he was in, and then proceeds to his life afterwards. Shortly after, the new story was set in motion. I expected that the film would try to explore the protagonist's life a little deeper, but it didn't. Rather, I liked that they cut to the chase quickly enough and set the right pace.
That's how everything else was in the film. Every segment of the film cut to the chase quickly and delivered what they had. And what they delivered wasn't just in the middle. It's another thing I like about the film.
There were a lot of fight scenes, all of which were entertaining to watch, but they didn't just seem unrealistic, as most action films tend to. I enjoyed the realism I perceived in most of the fights.
I appreciated the efforts put into the first film in the category of cinematography. I didn't even expect such quality, considering how long it has been since then, and I wasn't disappointed at all. I liked just how much attention they paid to detail.
Chris Hemsworth is one of the actors that I quite admire for doing quite well outside the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). In the other films I have seen him in, he's been great. I would say that his forte would be in this type of film, action, although he does well in less physically challenging films. He sure gave energy to this film, like in the first part.
It seemed to me like there might be another installment. With the way it ended, there might be an Extraction 3 in the future. I would like for that to happen, especially now that Idris Elba is on the show. I like that guy.
Again, I love just how direct and straight to the point—yet not overly simplified—they were with this film. It's something I could watch again, even though I never really do that. So, yeah, I would recommend this to anyone.
Let's give it an 8/10.
★★★★★★★★☆☆