We are still a week away from Labor Day so some summer movies are still left in the clip. Audiences are getting smaller, and so are the movies, but never will we see a weekend without at least one new release. This time around we've got the Mossad hunting down the architect of the Holocaust, and a kid who finds a mysterious weapon. Get ready for Operation Finale and Kin.
Just remember, I'm not reviewing these movies, but rather predicting where they'll end up on the Tomatometer. Let's take a look at This Rotten Week has to offer.
After World War II, in the wake of the German defeat to the Allies, some of the highest ranking Nazi leaders scattered around the world so as to avoid being tried for war crimes. Adolf Eichmann, essentially the man behind the design of the atrocities committed against the Jewish people, was one of the officers who escaped. That is, until the Mossad tracked him down in Argentina 20 years later and brought him back to Israel to stand trial. Operation Finale details the mission to confirm Eichmann's identity in Argentina and extract him. It's a heavy set of circumstances, and the trailer has a Munich-like feel to it.
Unfortunately, critics don't appear overly impressed with the film. Through 12 reviews, it's sitting at 58% on the Tomatometer with some critics saying it lacks the depth and gravitas of the subject it's dealing with. This isn't to say it's getting panned, but it just seems underwhelming. Director Chris Weitz has been attached to a lot of films in different roles, but his other work in the big chair hasn't stood up with the critics. The Golden Compass (42%) and The Twilight Saga: New Moon (28%) both finished lower on the Tomatometer. I'm worried this one will as well.
For the second week in a row we now have a film where some kid wanders into a random place and walks out with some ultra-cool, ridiculously powerful weapon of unknown origins. Last week it was A.X.L. and this time around we get Kin. In this one, a young boy finds a futuristic gun in an abandoned warehouse and uses it to protect his recently-released convict brother. It really all looks so ham-fisted and silly with the only thing kind of throwing me off is having James Franco around as one of the antagonists.
This is the first feature from directors Josh and Jonathan Baker, and I can't imagine they kick things off all that well with the critics. The story appears both convoluted and overly simple at the same time, with some tired themes being retrodden around this mystery weapon (which couldn't look faker). I have a feeling this one finishes with a real low score.
We had one hit and one miss last week with the Rotten Watch. A.X.L (Predicted: 27% Actual: 22%) fell right in range, and honestly, I would have been real surprised if it finished higher than 30%. The whole thing, from the premise, to the acting, to the effects, very much fit the mold of "late summer action movie." (that's not a compliment). I get that it was made almost exclusively for a narrow age range of viewers (think 10-12), and almost no one else.
Meanwhile, The Happytime Murders (Predicted: 68% Actual: 22%) was a big-time miss. I thought there would be enough laughs in what looked like a creative take on the puppet world from Brian Henson, one of the kids of the master, Jim Henson. Sure, it was a bunch of raunchy jokes coming from puppets, but I thought that would be good enough for at least a little love. Nope. This thing bombed, and I finished more than 45 points off. Besides critics having a field day with puppet analogies in their reviews, they also took it to task for a lazy story and not enough laughs. What a shame.
Next time around we've got The Nun, God Bless the Broken Road, and Peppermint. It's gonna be a Rotten Week!
