It’s odd to think that Jarhead, an adaptation of a memoir about the contemplation of the modern warrior from the vantage point of a one-time Marine Corps sniper, has turned into a direct to DVD action film series that has nothing in common with the original but the name.
Jarhead 3: The Siege imagines 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi> as a straight actioneer, as a handful of Marines not expecting much action on an embassy protection detail wind up having to face off against terrorists trying to kill an informant on the compound. National Security and the like are on the line for everyone involved.
It takes the basic premise of the Benghazi attacks …. and just turns it into an awful action thriller that wouldn’t have been made if someone hadn’t been able to associate it with the Jake Gyllenhaal helmed original in name only.
There’s a reason why this was given the Jarhead title; without it one wonders if it would’ve been made entirely. This has the feeling of someone looking at Jarhead 2 and realizing that for a small budget that DVD sales were enough to make it profitable multiple times. And that’s all this film is: a film that no one would’ve made if it didn’t have the Jarhead tie-in wasn’t there to get people to pick it up as a blind buy.
Recommendation to avoid at all costs.
A generic EPK piece is the sole extra.
Universal presents Jarhead 3: The Siege. Directed by Will Kaufman. Written by Michael Weiss. Starring: Scott Adkins, Charlie Weber, Dante Basco, Romeo Miller, Erik Valdez. Running length: 101 minutes. Released: June 7, 2016.
