Movies.ie

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• Currently 1/5 Stars.

Movies.ie Critic Review

Based on the DC Comics character first introduced in the early 1970s, Jonah Hex (Brolin) is the wild west shooter given the power to communicate with the dead by the Native Americans who nurse him after a vengeful attack by his former Confederate commanding officer (Malkovich). Setting himself up as bounty hunter, Hex soon realises that there's a bounty on his head. And that his commanding officer is actually live and well, and still up to no good.

THE VERDICT: Having looked pretty darn good on paper – literally – this unholy mess has become this summer'sWild Wild West - and I can think of no darker fate than that for a movie. Former movie star Megan Fox puts another nail in her career coffin (maybe those Native Americans can help her remove her box-office curse?), dragging the otherwise reliable Josh Brolin down with her in this misfiring comic book adaptation.

Review By Paul Byrne

• Avg User rating
• Currently 2/5 Stars.

User Reviews

• • Currently 3/5 Stars.

  Massman

  

  Enjoyable enough!

• • Currently 2/5 Stars.

  hoyeean

  

• • Currently 4/5 Stars.

  scollonp

  

  Pretty decent. And y'one there Megan Fox manages to never get fully dressed for the whole show....recommended!

• • Currently 2/5 Stars.

  Mr_Twist

  

  Not a bad adaptation however it its all over the shop with plot holes so big you could fit Fox's ego in them. Watchable

• • Currently 3/5 Stars.

  ssconnolly

  

  Based on the DC comic book of the same name this film is about Jonah Hex. Once a war hero he has been transformed into a dangerous, volatile bounty hunter obsessed with satisfying his need for revenge after the murder of his wife and kid, a desire which has made him more wanted then the criminals he brings in. Then the man who killed his family, who was thought to have died resurfaces with a evil scheme at the ready. The president then brings Hex back to the military to hunt him down before he unleashes Hell on Earth, in exchange for his freedom. I never got the feeling this film would be any good so when I went to see it I had low expectations. I mean a week before it was due to be released in the U.S there was still no sign of a trailer and once it was released it bombed miserably. And so it also bombed here and across the rest of the world, taking in just $329, 279 in its entire run, and I've yet to meet anyone else who's seen it. And it probably deserved more because although it's not great, its certainly better than most people been made to think. Sure enough you can't rule out the possibility that the studio let a A.D.D suffering 12 year old pyromaniac co-write a script with a decent action writer who's favourite film is Wild Wild West, but it still is a rather enjoyable film that has it's moments of brilliance. The film started out well, as in the first 4 minutes or so. Then it was followed with a stupid and pointless animated sequence and then a great Clint Eastwood-esque shootout scene. And unfortunately this is how the film continued, with incredible inconsistency. Just when you feel like you're getting into the film something outrageous or stupid comes along to pull you right back out again. For example about half way through the the film there is an exciting shootout during which Hex is shot, a great moment. But then the next scene is some Indians curing him, and this is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever seen in my life. His eyes start popping out his head, a crow flies out his mouth. I was actually amazed by how quickly it managed to become so preposterous. But in fairness to the director you could possibly blame all of these ridiculous scenes solely on the CGI department, because it is the shameless overuse of special effects that spoil lots of scenes, including the final showdown which was going so well. John Malcovich gives an uncharacteristically dreadful performance, showing up for the paycheck and ensuring he utters his lines as poorly as he can. Can't say the rest of the cast are much better. Michael Fassbender dons a useless Irish accent and though he seemed to be having fun with the role, I wasn't having much fun watching him. Will Arnett, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Michael Shannon also pop up in a couple small roles and cameos, all of which are pretty poor and all the stars could do better than this. Josh Brolin does quite well but the sloppy make up job on his face takes away from his performance somewhat and can be quite distracting. And surprisingly enough I was actually relatively impressed with Megan Fox's display as for the first time she showed signs that she can act quite well. So all in all Jonah Hex is not a great film but it is significantly better than the reviews and the box office standing would suggest. At times it all looks great, with the cinematographer putting in some of the films best work when he gets a chance. Can't say the same for the make up department however who made Brolin look like a poor mans Two-Face. The special effects and the support cast are what really let the film down though. This year there have been plenty of great comic book movies and to be honest Jonah Hex cannot compete with them. Iron Man 2, Kick-Ass, Scott Pilgrim vs the World and even The Losers were all better than this and at the end of the day this movie will suffice as one of those films you watch when you're in the mood for something mindless and a bit crap.

• • Currently 1/5 Stars.

  vu1999uk

  

  A bit of a mess. And whats even worse, a dull mess. While it is usually good when a film this bad is only 80 minutes long, in this case it infuriates more, as there is potentially a good movie here, if both plot and supporting characters were developed and given more time. But everyone is wasted. Will Forte barely appears. Megan Fox is in the film for no real reason. And poor Michael Fassbender is crine worthy in a villian role. Josh Brolin does his best but can't save this.

• • Currently 2/5 Stars.

  ging-grr

  

  So much promise here, great character, really good cast, but it all got horribly let down by a terrible script that had no pacing and no flow to the story, it felt like it jumped back and forth way too often. Wouldn't mind them doing a reboot of this, with a decent script, thay could even keep the same cast.