Critics Consensus: The Grey is Certified Fresh
Plus, Man on a Ledge is too contrived, and guess One For the Money's Tomatometer.
This week at the movies, we've got icy survival (The Grey, starring Liam Neeson and Dermot Mulroney), a tense negotiation (Man on a Ledge, starring Sam Worthington and Elizabeth Banks), and a bounty hunter (One For the Money, starring Katherine Heigl and Jason O'Mara). What do the critics have to say?
The Grey
79%
Liam Neeson is carving out a nice little niche as a middle-aged action hero, and critics say the smart and suspenseful The Grey offers further testament to his authoritative presence as a man locked in combat with nature. When a plane carrying a group of oil-drillers crashes in the unforgiving Alaska wild, Ottway (Neeson) must lead the survivors to safety through a stretch of wilderness that's home to a particularly aggressive and bloodthirsty pack of wolves. The pundits say The Grey (which is Certified Fresh) is a visceral, sometimes unbearably tense survival tale with a surprising amount of emotional heft and existential angst, and even if it's occasionally too talky, Neeson is typically awesome. (Check out our feature on Certified Fresh survival movies.)
Man on a Ledge
32%
Many thrillers require audiences to suspend their disbelief, but critics say the trouble with Man on a Ledge is that its plot is too convoluted and implausible to generate suspense. Sam Worthington stars as Nick Cassidy, a disgraced ex-cop who climbs out on a hotel ledge with the expressed purpose of jumping. However, as police psychologist Lydia Mercer (Elizabeth Banks) tries to talk him down, she suspects he may be part of a larger undertaking. The pundits say Man on a Ledge features some decent performances and plenty of twists, but it's also overly busy and contrived. (Check out this week's Total Recall, in which we count down co-star Ed Harris's best-reviewed movies.)
One for the Money
2%
It appears the folks behind One For the Money are afraid it isn't one for the ages, since it wasn't screened for critics prior to release. Based upon Janet Evanovich's bestselling novel, the movie stars Katherine Heigl as a Jersey girl who takes a job as a recovery agent for a bail bondsman; soon, she's tasked with bringing in a murder suspect who happens to be her ex-boyfriend. Kids, it's time to guess the Tomatometer!
Also opening this week in limited release:
- Declaration of War, a based-on-true-events dramedy about a young couple whose child is suffering from brain cancer, is at 85 percent.
- How Much Does Your Building Weigh, Mr. Foster?, a documentary about unconventional British architect Norman Foster, is at 47 percent.
- After Fall, Winter, a drama about a pair of damaged souls who find love in Paris, is at 20 percent.
And finally, mad props to RedTuna for coming the closest to guessing Underworld Awakening's 30 percent Tomatometer.
Lenny Monroe
Happy (and surprised) that The Grey got good reviews, and hovering around 80 Percent is not that bad at all. The director has made plenty of below average films before so it is interesting to see what he has done here. Then again I was gonna see this movie anyway.
As for Man on a Ledge, around 20 Percent is just what I expected. I saw the preview to this during Mission Impossible and it looked like shit, when the preview was over everyone in the audience and myself was like "yeah, okay". It looks overly stupid and what's bad is that it has Sam Worth-less-ton who cant act worth shit and practically all his movies are horrible. The only thing he actually stood out in was Terminator Salvation, but that was only because everything and everyone else in the movie around his character was horrible . He needs to just stick to making the Avatar sequels.
Jan 26 - 04:36 PM
Lenny Monroe
And also, 38 Percent for One For The Money. Katherine Heigl sucks, all her movies are the same, just her wardrobe that changes each time.
Jan 26 - 04:39 PM
Tom Carter
Aw, come on! I mean, Worthington's not that great of an actor, but Avatar was good for him! Actually, THAT likely is the best thing he's been in. I kinda knew MOAL was going to stink, but Worthington has had some good moments too...
Grey looks like a good one too. Neeson is actually one of the better actors out there (should've won the Oscar for Schindler's List), and this is just another example of how good he can be...
Jan 26 - 06:09 PM
Lenny Monroe
I actually liked Avatar, but he wasn't one of the things that I consider why I loved the film, but I do think it was good for him, that's why I said he need o stick to the sequels, lol.
Jan 26 - 08:11 PM
George Patchell
If you want to see something with Worthington that is decent and he is decent in it then check out the Australian film Dirty Deeds with Bryan Brown and Toni Collette, good little gangster film set in the late 60s-early 70s. Not the best film ever but its worth a couple hours of your time.
Jan 26 - 10:37 PM
Pat Marion
I 100% agree with Sam Worthington. While I also liked Avatar, he only stood out in Terminator Salvation.
He was particularly awful in Texas Killing Fields.
Jan 27 - 06:57 AM
Holden Drover
So excited for THE GREY, I really had a feeling that it would be a lot different than what the macho trailer portrayed.... Liam is such a power on screen these days... I love the idea of good action combined with a the terrifying realities of existence and the power of nature... Can't wait to see it
And Katerine Heigl represents all things evil in our society today... Go Away!
Jan 27 - 01:22 PM