Gunpowder Milkshake

This movie is a lot like calligraphy. Hear me out. Calligraphy is an art form. It is elegant and lovely to look at, and thoroughly unique to the artist. It’s also a very fancy, ornate way of  conveying that what can be done in a much simpler, more direct way. Calligraphy dresses up words in pretty clothing, but it’s still just the same old words. That’s Gunpowder Milkshake. It’s a stylish, garish, comic book-like action movie, with slick slo-mo action sequences set to inappropriate music, physics-defying physicality, rules that break themselves constantly, and bold visuals. It’s colorful and grabs the eye and is full of energy. It’s also, narratively speaking, as empty as the vacuum of space. Assassin is turned on by her agency and she’s out for revenge? So very unique. It’s also indulgent and bloated at almost 2 hours. It never drags, but there’s still visible fat to be trimmed. And CGI is inexcusably terrible. Like, PlayStation 2 bad. Birdemic bad. And the cast is a mixed bag; Angela Bassett, Lena Headley, Carla Gugino, and Michelle Yeoh are all clearly having some fun here, but oddly, Karen Gillan is is the weak link. I love Karen, and normally she’s a blast to watch in everything she does, but she’s one-note for most of the movie and doesn’t seem to relish the crazy, OTT nature of the movie. Since she’s the main character, that’s kind of a problem. It’s still a fun movie, directed smartly, and never bores. But it’s also not everything it could be or should be.