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LOCKOUT (2012)Movie Reviews
Science fiction adventure about an ex-government agent on a mission to rescue the President's daughter from rioting convicts at an outer space prison. Cast:Guy Pearce, Maggie Grace, Peter Stormare, Vincent ReganDirector:James Mather, Stephen St. LegerRelease Date:April 13, 2012DVD Release:July 17, 2012From:FilmDistrictRating:PG-13Length:1 hr. 35 min.
Lockout (2012) played to weak reviews. • Bill Goodykoontz wrote in the Arizona Republic, "Falling through space, popping your parachute and landing on the one empty stretch of freeway in some bustling future city? C'mon. We all have our limits." • And James Berardinelli wrote for Reel Views, "Even those willing to forgive the lackluster action are likely to throw up their hands in disgust..." More Reviews Below...
Jake Coyle, Associated Press: MODERATE(cg) "The cheap visual effects are so bad that you'll be wondering if you misplaced your 3-D glasses. But, no, the digital backgrounds of some scenes really are that undefined..."(See all of Jake Coyle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 556 words, 04/12/12
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: MODERATE(cg) "...the gaily outlandish plot is matched by tin-eared dialogue, ripe tough-guy overacting from the very game Pearce... floats like space junk in the final frontier."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 211 words, 04/13/12
Scott Bowles, USA Today: WEAK(cg) "...a putrid film that comes dead-weighted with hammy one-liners and a plot so silly it borders on comedy... The laughs don't come intentionally here."(See all of Scott Bowles's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 396 words, 04/13/12
Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "I like to ask myself how real people would feel in a situation like this. If I were sent on Snow's mission, I would be paralyzed by fright most of the time."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 720 words, 04/13/12
Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies: WEAK(cg) "...a largely half-hearted effort in which some of the major set pieces are so indifferently executed that they literally look exactly like sequences out of video games."(See all of Glenn Kenny's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 692 words, 04/10/12
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: WEAK(cg) "Even those willing to forgive the lackluster action are likely to throw up their hands in disgust at the abrupt, contrived way everything is brought to a conclusion."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 727 words, 04/12/12
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (12 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: FAIR "...as dopey an entertainment as imaginable, but it's also a reminder that the film's star, Guy Pearce, has always had great screen magnetism... Also: he can act."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 614 words, 04/13/12
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: POOR(cg) "...never busts out of its cheesy concept. And Pearce's Snow, for all of his I-hate-this-stuff swagger, is no Snake Plissken. Even his name is weak."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 169 words, 04/13/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: FAIR "...there are many explosive shortcuts -- as in, if it doesn't make sense, just blow it up big time and maybe the audience won't notice. Ah, but they will."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 595 words, 04/13/12
Kyle Smith, New York Post: POOR(cg) "...a mangled action thriller... The chemically induced coma with which the bad guys threaten to punish our hero sounds more interesting than anything in this movie."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 268 words, 04/13/12
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: POOR(cg) "The aftereffects of watching 'Lockout' include an inability to focus or to complete a simple declarative sentence without an ill-timed cutaway in the middle."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 416 words, 04/13/12
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: GOOD "...directed in the super-kinetic house style by two novices, James Mather and Steven St. Leger. 'Die Hard' in orbit is a fun high concept..."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 418 words, 04/13/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "I like to ask myself how real people would feel in a situation like this. If I were sent on Snow's mission, I would be paralyzed by fright most of the time."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 720 words, 04/13/12
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "...a potluck of derivative references.... Such scavenging might be overlooked if the action were legible, the one-liners crisply written, or the chemistry of the leads bonding."(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 220 words, 04/11/12
Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: MODERATE(cg) "...it's hard to figure out whether the futuristic sci-fi thriller is in on the joke and paying homage to the wisecracking action flicks of decades past. Or is it just laughably bad?"(See all of Linda Barnard's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 415 words, 04/13/12
Rick Groen, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "...just another minor flick guilty of that most common aesthetic crime: borrowing too much and repaying too little."(See all of Rick Groen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 625 words, 04/13/12
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Momentum-wise, the action rocks on, but near the midway mark a kind of creative fatigue sets in - not that things were terribly creative to begin with."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 414 words, 04/13/12
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: WEAK(cg) "Falling through space, popping your parachute and landing on the one empty stretch of freeway in some bustling future city? C'mon. We all have our limits."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 459 words, 04/13/12
Tom Russo, Boston Globe: VERY GOOD(cg) "...writer-directors James Mather and Stephen St. Leger have put some thought into all of this -- always a bonus in a no-brakes thriller, especially one of Besson's."(See all of Tom Russo's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 347 words, 04/13/12
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: MODERATE(cg) "...pleasant enough, not something to recommend to a friend, but enjoyable in the moment.... the action piles on and acquires a sameness."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 426 words, 04/13/12
Connie Ogle, Miami Herald: MODERATE(cg) "At least if you were playing it as a game, 'Lockout' would get you involved. As it is, though, watching it feels more like skirting the edge of a black hole."(See all of Connie Ogle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 483 words, 04/13/12
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (8 Reviews)
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "...a potluck of derivative references.... Such scavenging might be overlooked if the action were legible, the one-liners crisply written, or the chemistry of the leads bonding."(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 220 words, 04/11/12
Katey Rich, Cinema Blend: MODERATE(cg) "In his best scenes Guy Pearce makes 'Lockout' feel special and vibrant, but when he's gone, the movie can be a surprising slog for something so silly."(See all of Katey Rich's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 730 words, 04/13/12
Scott Tobias, AV Club: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a quality knockoff.... Besson and writer-director team James Mather and Stephen St. Leger are comfortable with the 'impossible' side of their mission impossible."(See all of Scott Tobias's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 387 words, 04/12/12
Cynthia Fuchs, Pop Matters: VERY GOOD(cg) "Slammed together with fast cuts that leave out explanations and action that might be helpful in another movie, it's propulsive and even respectful."(See all of Cynthia Fuchs's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 895 words, 04/16/12
Alison Willmore, Movieline: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a weightless bit of galactic debris that fills an hour and a half just fine -- you may not believe a man can parachute out of space, but wouldn't you like to see him try?"(See all of Alison Willmore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 860 words, 04/13/12
Nick Schager, Slant: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a sporadically efficient, energetic genre retread, but one that, courtesy of Pearce's devil-may-care bravado, still proves to be moderately satisfying B-movie cheese."(See all of Nick Schager's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 636 words, 04/09/12
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: FAIR "...as dopey an entertainment as imaginable, but it's also a reminder that the film's star, Guy Pearce, has always had great screen magnetism... Also: he can act."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 614 words, 04/13/12
David Denby, New Yorker: POOR "...unwittingly funny... Movies this bad need to be revered in public places. Go see it in a mall, and try to sneak a beer or two in with you."(See all of David Denby's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 340 words, 04/30/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: FAIR "...there are many explosive shortcuts -- as in, if it doesn't make sense, just blow it up big time and maybe the audience won't notice. Ah, but they will."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 595 words, 04/13/12
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Justin Chang, Daily Variety: MODERATE "...tackles a nifty futuristic premise with bargain-basement efficiency and a deadpan, devil-may-care attitude.... proves slapdash and unsatisfying over the long haul..."(See all of Justin Chang's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 820 words, 04/09/12
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter: MODERATE "...compensates for its cheesy special effects and production values, as well as its utter derivativeness, with redeeming doses of tongue-in-cheek humor."(See all of Frank Scheck's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 468 words, 04/10/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: FAIR "...there are many explosive shortcuts -- as in, if it doesn't make sense, just blow it up big time and maybe the audience won't notice. Ah, but they will."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 595 words, 04/13/12
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: FAIR "...as dopey an entertainment as imaginable, but it's also a reminder that the film's star, Guy Pearce, has always had great screen magnetism... Also: he can act."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 614 words, 04/13/12
19.5 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Lockout (2012)'s reviews are separated by an average 19.5 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Lockout (2012) (35 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Lockout (2012)'s reviews cover 56.6% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 16,828 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 481 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 12.9 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Lockout (2012)'s reviews on average broke 12.9 hours after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Lockout (2012)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Lockout (2012) (35 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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