Duncan Jones was able to prove he could be a good filmmaker with Moon and Source Code, two of the most underrated sci-fi movies ever IMO. Then he was able to prove that he could also not do well as a filmmaker with Warcraft, unsurprising given the fact it's a film adaptation of a video game. Realistically speaking, the only good movies based on video games were Wreck It Ralph, Tron, and Ready Player One (none of which were based on real video games ironically).
And sadly Duncan Jones' biggest recent failure is 2018's Mute. It squanders both an interesting premise (the idea of a man who can't scream the name of the missing person he deeply loves could've made way for quite a Tear Jerker of a film), a cool Cyberpunk setting, and multiple great actors. All of the characters in the movie are flat, one-dimensional, and uninteresting, save for Justin Theroux and Paul Rudd, the only other redeeming qualities of the movie besides the visuals and Clint Mansell's spot-on soundtrack. The plot has no idea what direction to go in, both for the protagonist Leo as he looks for his missing girlfriend and for Rudd's Cactus Bill and Theroux's Duck, as it tries juggling two separate stories at the same time in an attempt to combine them together for a grand finale. The result is a rollercoaster of cliches and uninteresting detours that greatly ruin the movie's pacing.
The absolutely beautiful cyberpunk setting that arguably rivals the Oscar-winning visuals of Blade Runner 2049 sadly don't do much for the story either. The movie could've been set in modern-day New York City or even Middle Earth and it still wouldn't have much effect.
In conclusion, Paul Rudd, Justin Theroux, cool visuals, and an acceptable soundtrack from Clint Mansell aren't enough to save this mess of a movie. Sadly, this is one of the Netflix exclusive movies you'd be fine without seeing.
Film Mute: a movie whose title represents what the movie has to say about originality and plot
Duncan Jones was able to prove he could be a good filmmaker with Moon and Source Code, two of the most underrated sci-fi movies ever IMO. Then he was able to prove that he could also not do well as a filmmaker with Warcraft, unsurprising given the fact it's a film adaptation of a video game. Realistically speaking, the only good movies based on video games were Wreck It Ralph, Tron, and Ready Player One (none of which were based on real video games ironically).
And sadly Duncan Jones' biggest recent failure is 2018's Mute. It squanders both an interesting premise (the idea of a man who can't scream the name of the missing person he deeply loves could've made way for quite a Tear Jerker of a film), a cool Cyberpunk setting, and multiple great actors. All of the characters in the movie are flat, one-dimensional, and uninteresting, save for Justin Theroux and Paul Rudd, the only other redeeming qualities of the movie besides the visuals and Clint Mansell's spot-on soundtrack. The plot has no idea what direction to go in, both for the protagonist Leo as he looks for his missing girlfriend and for Rudd's Cactus Bill and Theroux's Duck, as it tries juggling two separate stories at the same time in an attempt to combine them together for a grand finale. The result is a rollercoaster of cliches and uninteresting detours that greatly ruin the movie's pacing.
The absolutely beautiful cyberpunk setting that arguably rivals the Oscar-winning visuals of Blade Runner 2049 sadly don't do much for the story either. The movie could've been set in modern-day New York City or even Middle Earth and it still wouldn't have much effect.
In conclusion, Paul Rudd, Justin Theroux, cool visuals, and an acceptable soundtrack from Clint Mansell aren't enough to save this mess of a movie. Sadly, this is one of the Netflix exclusive movies you'd be fine without seeing.