Dave Bautista returns to the big screen with the release of his latest film The Assassin's GameAlthough the film got off to a rocky start with critics, viewers seemed to be enjoying it much more.
On Rotten Tomatoes, The Assassin's Game currently has a score of 33% on the Tomatometer. Not a great place to be for a new movie making its debut, but the good news is that the Popcornmeter, which refers to the collective score obtained from user-submitted reviews, is sitting at 77%A difference of almost 50 points is notable and could be seen as a sign that many viewers will appreciate The Assassin's Gameeven though several critics didn't.
“Emphasizing physical strength over intelligence and spectacle over substance, after a while it starts to feel like an endless, repetitive montage of video game-style scenes,” Cinemalogue reviewer Todd Jorgensen said of the The Assassin's Game. Other negative reviews continue to praise Bautista, with a review by Mike Massie of Gone With the Twins stating, “It's fortunate that Bautista is a strong lead, as many of the film's other choices work against his success.”
Viewers are having a lot more fun with The Killer's Game
In contrast, verified audience reviews are much more complimentary about the film. One user-submitted review gave the film a perfect five-star rating, noting, “This movie is action-packed from start to finish. A must-see!! And it was super fun, too!” Another five-star review added, “Hollywood seriously, totally, crucially, critically, absolutely, unconditionally, imperatively, necessarily, desperately, truly, unquestionably, definitely needs to make more movies like this. Thank you, Lionsgate, for keeping the best elements of cinema alive.”
The Assassin's Game was directed by JJ Perry and written by Rand Ravich and James Coyne. It is based on the original novel by Jay Bonansinga. The story follows Dave Bautista as Joe Flood, a hitman who accidentally self-destructs after being misdiagnosed with a terminal illness. He must then defend himself from his would-be assassins after realizing his mistake. The film also stars Sofia Boutella, Terry Crews, Scott Adkins, Pom Klementieff, Marko Zaror, Bin Kingsley, and Drew Galloway, aka WWE's Drew McIntyre.
“[My involvement in the casting was] really alone pointing out Drew to everyone,” Bautista recently explained of casting McIntyre, according to Chris Van Vliet. “I was talking to JJ and he was like, 'I need a big, hulking guy who's almost intimidating to you. A guy who dwarfs you a little bit, and is bigger than you, but I also need him to be able to do a Scottish accent.' And he said, 'Do you know anyone?' And I said, 'Damn, I have the perfect man.'”
The Assassin's Game is now in theaters.
Source: Rotten Tomatoes