★
Four misfit teenagers join forces to save the world when an alien invasion interrupts their summer camp.
Classification: 15
Mind numbing and tedious at every turn, McG’s Rim of the World is a melting pot of terrible clichés, un-amusing humour and horrible performances. Clearly hoping to imitate classic Amblin adventure films such as E.T, Goonies and Jurassic Park, director McG and his team ensure a slog through its annoying characters and monotonous plot. There is very little to grasp on to for the sake of engagement as you’ll be spending most of your time rolling your eyes instead of watching the film.
With a plot cherrypicking from far better blockbusters, Rim of the World is hoping that nostalgia by proxy will gloss over the serious issues dragging the film down. First the presentation of the film, with cinematography, production design and visual effects creating a bland visual vista through most of the runtime. It gives the film a cheap atmosphere which makes the stakes of the film inconsequential as Rim of the World alien threat is represented by poor CGI creatures and unexciting action. Worse it that at the most inopportune moments, the script staples on unearned “dramatic” reveals for the four main characters which does nothing to enrich the dull performances or their arc.
Without wanting to seem overly callous, the child actors are not the issue with Rim of the World but how their characters and performances are led by the script and director. The film wants to start with an archetype; shy nerd, rich bully, cool loner and mysterious girl but then never does anything to make these characters stand apart from the rest. The stapled on scenes to give any depth to these characters are an afterthought as Rim of the World at time just feels like Netflix’s own Stranger Things rip-off. McG doesn’t want to put in any substantial work to make these characters and their struggle one worth investing in. The director relies on stereotype and cliché for character and story at every opportunity, giving the overall product a generic and indifferent finish.
Any subconscious nostalgia Rim of the World may give an audience would be better spent on the films that earned that nostalgia. Marred with poor production quality, the suspension of disbelief snaps almost immediately and makes the dangers presented to the main characters not at all threatening. At times the main actors have a fun chemistry together, with Benjamin Flores Jr as an enjoyable scene stealer but the mundane script never lets these actors or characters grow in a way that makes this film stand above mediocrity. Rim of the World takes its place deep in the pit of a saturated market of 80’s inspired science fiction adventure with hardly any footing to make a stand of its own.
Director: McG
Cast: Jack Gore, Miya Cech, Benjamin Flores Jr., Alessio Scalzotto
Release Date: May 24th 2019
Available exclusively on Netflix
Trailer:
Written review copyright ©CoreyBullochReviews
Images and Synopsis from the Internet Movie Database
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