OUTSIDE THE WIRE is Netflixs Effort to Make Sci-fi Action Less Satisfying

It is ironic watching  Outside the Wire . The name gives the impression that this is a film that thinks outside the box, or "outside the box", but apparently this is just a film that recycles various films with similar themes so as to produce stories that seem clichéd, especially when the story has reached its end. . The longer the film runs, the more clichéd the plot flows, which unfortunately results in an unsatisfactory viewing experience.

When viewed, this film actually starts off quite promising. We are in the future, in 2036. Europe is in the middle of a civil war between Ukraine and Russia. Russia wants to take over Ukraine to become part of Russia, but Ukrainian civilians choose to fight back and in the middle of the two of them is the United States, which has established bases and positions as peacekeepers, although in fact they are also taking part in the ongoing war.

Read Also : Pelicula Iron Fist 

Drone controller  Thomas Harp (Damson Idris), who sits quietly at his base in America eating  snacks , disobeying orders from his superiors and decides to fire missiles at a truck that threatens the lives of 40 American soldiers who are in the war, but his efforts are not only devastating. the truck but also took the lives of two American soldiers who were injured nearby. His actions resulted in him being sent to the battlefield and assigned to Captain Leo (Anthony Mackie), who also apparently was a  cyborg .

Read Also : Pelicula Mis huellas a casa

We are in the future, the army already has a robot named Gump which looks like from the Chappie movie that can shoot enemies and becomes the first choice if there is an urgent situation. Of course the existence of a  cyborg isn't impossible either, right? "Fourth generation biotech, and I'll give you 60 seconds to take it," Leo scolded Harp. Their first mission was to deliver drugs to civilian camps far outside the headquarters, or "outside the wire" because their base was surrounded by wire fences.

Read Also : Pelicula Tod@s caen 

During the trip, Outside the Wire  feels like a film that wants to have a deep meaning about war and how war will affect it in the long run. Civilians who have to be victims, the war that doesn't stop, the future is uncertain. But this film also looks half-hearted in exploring the theme, and chooses to explain it through dialogue that is less hitting than the two characters and interrupts with gunfire and explosions everywhere.

The theme of the film is also mixed with technology and how the future of human beings increasingly relying on AI to carry out their duties, and the consequences it brings, as in a scene when the American army was confronted by Ukrainian civilian forces and one of the American Gumps first shot although not instructed, as a result of the situation is heating up. But again, the theme of technology feels less immersed in its storytelling so it impresses only as a side dish for this film. This film wants to highlight a world full of advanced technology but less prominent and satisfied to make that advanced technology as a story companion only.

Read Also : Pelicula Whiplash

Finally, when the film has entered an hour's duration, the film's story seems more verbose and cannot fulfill the expectations it has built from the beginning of the film. The film's climax also seems very weak, it even makes me think "Is that what it is?" This film already looks like it runs out of ideas midway through, so that as it gets closer to the end, Outside the Wire is  trying to close it down in any way, whether the ending is satisfying or not. And that's a shame, considering the enormous potential it had at the beginning of the film.

Outside the Wire  also squandered the two main characters, considering that both of them seemed to have strong and interesting chemistry at the beginning of the film. Leo, who was Harp's superior, was not violent or strict with his subordinates. He realized that himself who was a  cyborg would provoke confusion from Harp, and he always answered all questions from Harp and often threw jokes and teases at Harp. These two characters have the potential to have a good and interesting friendship.

Read Also : Pelicula El gran milagro

But as the film progresses, the relationship between the two becomes increasingly confused and forced. We are never clearly told how Leo's past was, even though his character is often pawned as a vital character for the film's story. Finally, when the film is over, the two characters don't leave a long mark on the audience's head, and neither will the film. The concept may be interesting, but it's not a film audiences will remember. Suppose that Outside the Wire  tries to dig deeper into the two characters.