American Ultra

American Ultra

Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Topher Grace, Connie Britton

Directed by Nima Nourizadeh

The Story:
Mike Howell (Jesse Eisenberg) is a stoned loser who can't leave his small West Virginia town due to panic attacks, and works at a grocery store.  He even admits his loser status when comparing himself to his equally loser girlfriend Phoebe (Kristen Stewart).

Their lives, albeit a bit tame, are idyllic for the two lovers, and unbeknownst to Mike, he's a sleeper assassin who's targeted for extermination by Adrian Yates (Topher Grace), a young cocky upstart in the CIA.  Mike's handler, Victoria Lasseter (Connie Britton), sets out to rescue her "pet" before he can be put down by Yates, and activates him.

Mike is confused with what is happening to him, and he doesn't understand how he's able to fight so well, and remember things that he never learned before.  As he tries to grasp his newfound abilities, Yates relentlessly sends wave after wave of super soldiers to take him down, at any means necessary.

The Summary:
Although it was created as a unique and new entity, "American Ultra" seems oddly familiar.  A mild-mannered person who has no idea he's a sleeper agent suddenly is activated and can perform all sorts of complicated fighting styles.  Sounds like "The Bourne Identity?"  Well, what makes this film a little different is that the sleeper agent is a stoner, who'd rather "get high and die with a smile" than fight.

This new twist to the already overdone subgenre is the main selling point for "American Ultra," but it's not worth the paper its printed on.  Sure, the concept is unique and different, but ultimately it falls into the trap of mediocrity that all of these films eventually lead to, but does so in a way that's more disappointing than others.

The cast is a mixed bag of talent.  Topher Grace does well enough as the one-dimensional CIA agent who's set on rising the ranks by becoming the biggest narcissist ever, with quips that were probably meant to be funny, but fell flatter than a pancake.  Connie Britton shines in this otherwise pile of filth, and I wonder how they managed to get someone who's constantly getting amazing work ("American Horror Story," "Nashville") to appear in this film.

The two main leads are no strangers to working together, as both Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart appeared together in "Adventureland," another disappointing outing for the two stars.  Eisenberg - or as I call him the "better Michael Cera" -  is in his element here, as a stoner guy who never has a voice inflection nor a denouement moment.  I wonder how he will handle Lex Luthor in "Batman vs. Superman," and I'm not too confident he'll do well there either.  However, with "Ultra," he doesn't leave the small box he made for himself.

As for Kristen Stewart...yeah...she's in her element too.  As a doting, loving girlfriend who also doesn't have many thoughts of her own.  I might be giving her a hard time due to her abysmal "Twilight" series, but she actually has some serious acting chops.  She is the only American actress to win the Best Supporting Actress Cesar Award, which is France's version of the Oscars, for her role in "Clouds of Sils Maria."  So she CAN act, it's just that she DOESN'T act well, at least in American films.

The only highlight of the film are the action sequences which - as I said before - aren't anything new or revolutionary, but they're quite enjoyable.  Unfortunately, most of the stylistic sequences are spoiled in the previews, so there's ultimately no need to see it.

After "Ultra" was released, it debuted in sixth place, behind "Straight Outta Compton," "Mission: Impossible," "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.," "Hitman: Agent 47" and "Sinister 2."  The film's writer, Max Landis, now famously tweeted:
"It seems the reviews didn't even matter, the MOVIE didn't matter.  Are original ideas over? I wanted to pose this to the public, because I feel, put lightly, confused. I feel like I learned a lesson, here, but have no idea what it is."

I will now offer my own rebuttal.

First of all, Landis sounds like he's high himself.  This isn't a complicated issue, and not something that should be confusing to anyone.  Original ideas are definitely not over, it's just that your movie wasn't totally original, and it wasn't necessarily good.  There are several original films out there - "The Gift," "Django Unchained," "The Purge," "Drive," "Chronicle" - that not only performed very well at the box office, but were also critically acclaimed as well.

So here is the lesson you should've learned:  When you make a truly ORIGINAL film, make it something people want to see.  When you retread old ideas, and cast some of the blandest actors around, you shouldn't be surprised it would flop.

The end.

The Summary:
"American Ultra" might be a decent movie.  If you're high.

The Score: B-