MMA has officially arrived
Image Courtesy of IMPawards.com
Director: Jeff Wadlow
Notable Cast: Djimon Hounsou, Amber Heard, Sean Faris, Cam Gigandet, Leslie Hope, Wyatt Smith, Kyle Davis
Every activity, sport or hobby has a moment when it officially arrives as a part of the mainstream. For NASCAR, it was having Tom Cruise play a racecar driver overcoming the odds to win it all in Days of Thunder. Amateur wresting aficionados had their day when Matthew Modine overcame all the odds in Vision Quest. And now Mixed Martial Arts fans get to bask in the glory of a subpar, formulaic film with Never Back Down.
Following the tale of Jake (Sean Faris), a hothead with a vicious right hook, the film is riddled with one cliché after another as Jake has to fight the bad guy (Cam Gigandet), hang out with a sidekick (Evan Peters), listen to a wise instructor (Djimon Hounsou) and win the affection of a beautiful woman (Amber Heard). We know exactly where it’s going, where it will lead to, and what will happen. There’s nothing that isn’t extraordinary or markedly different from any sports underdog tale; it knows which notes to hit and where to go. The key is in the details and the story-telling. How it gets there and the characters we follow are the reason for the film’s being, not its story. And if that’s the case, the characters are virtually interchangeable with any other (actors included).
The film’s script is more of an anchor than the strength it needs to be in order to be anything more than a generic underdog film. It starts out strong, introducing Jake with a bit of a modern twist on the fish out of water architecture not usually seen. The setup, getting Jake from being a rural Iowa teenager to being in the middle of Orlando, is set up well enough that we like Jake early on. Faris has a physical presence that overcomes the fact that Jake is a poorly written character. We like him because of Faris, not because he’s a good hero, but ultimately we only care about him because he is the hero. You can repeat this process with the main villain, etc. There’s nothing about the story itself that makes one care, which is the downside to a film whose premise is to get you to root for one person over another.
That’s not to say that the cast isn’t game for the material. Everyone at least looks the part of people who train at a high level of martial arts and physical fitness. The action looks credible and is shot well, and it starts with everyone looking and moving like the characters they’re supposed to be. Farris and Gigandet have obviously worked on that aspect of their characters and it shows. Hounsou is the big surprise. A physical actor, he brings a level of professionalism and class not usually seen with this sort of film. He looks and acts the part of a master fighter, a new version of Mr. Miyagi with a different thick accent, and has a presence that steals the scene whenever he’s around. It’s not a brilliant performance by any means, as Hounsou has been nominated for Oscars for far better, but he performs admirably given the circumstances.
Jeff Wadlow definitely knows what he’s doing behind the camera, however. In between using Heard as mainly the eye candy her role necessitates her for, Wadlow sets up a lot of good shots and scenery. Heard manages to be Wadlow’s template for a lot of shot, clearly pandering to the teenaged boy demographic the film skewers to by showing her in skimpy clothes and tantalizing shots. The film is worth viewing if only for the top notch work Wadlow is inspired to do with a camera whenever she’s on screen. While his story-telling ability is rather limited given the material provided to work with, he does a lot to bring the richness of the area. Orlando looks great and he maximizes what is shown. There are lots of bright colors, as well as a good soundtrack, so the film at least looks and sounds good as well.
Never Back Down is the sort of film that’s a throwaway to those unfamiliar with MMA, and extremely disappointing to those who follow the sport. It is a sign, though, as MMA has arrived into the mainstream. If a crappy film starring people who will be major stars in the future is what it takes, then it’ll be viewed as a film that inspires someone to make a great film with MMA.
FINAL RATING (ON A SCALE OF 1-5 BUCKETS):
