In short, Heart of Stone clearly has a high production value behind it, evident in the locations, sets and action scenes. The original soundtrack is engaging, and the script can occasionally surprise. However, for everything that is done well, there is something that holds the film back, be it criminally underused actors, poorly choreographed stunts, overuse of CGI, and a lead who is not always believable in her role.
Extending on the above, Heart of Stone can be accused of aping other spy thrillers, with scenes that will remind viewers of Quantum of Solace and The World is Not Enough, to name but a few. That said, the film can never outdo the features which inspired it.
Stone (Gal Gadot) works with international spy agency The Charter, a pseudo-Kingsman. With the power of the Heart, a technological McGuffin that can control or predict just about anything, their agency is basically unstoppable. Posing as an M16 agent, Stone works alongside Parker (Jamie Dornan), whose role is as under-developed as it is generic, and shamefully underused agents Yang (Jing Lusi) and Basiley (Paul Ready), who bring a lot of fun to their roles. When their mission, to intercept an arms smuggler, is compromised by genius hacker Keya (Alia Bhatt), whose end goal is to get her hands on The Charter's most prized weapon, Stone must work against the clock, and her own organization, to stop The Heart getting into the wrong hands.
Though Heart of Stone follows a similar routine to other spy thrillers - mission goes wrong - the protagonist is abandoned by their agency - protagonist must redeem themselves and save the world - the feature does include one twist that was undoubtedly well executed. However, the script is as contrived as they come, with characters often magicking their way exactly where they need to go. Despite the rare one-liner, the script didn't always sell the narrative of a believable spy thriller, which is not helped by more than a few lines draped in cringe.
The final confrontation is, for the most part, well directed. There is a short-lived but enjoyable motorbike chase, and two explosive sequences that are very engaging - one instance of hydrogen + bomb making for a phenomenal scene. This is helped by the original score of Steven Price, whose accompanying action soundtrack really elevates the entertainment. However, half of the action scenes fall flat, with poorly choreographed stunts, including characters who clearly do not hit their opponents, leads who attack with the force of a toddler, and an over-emphasis on amateur wirework. This is not helped by many sporadic cuts, presumably used to hide the fact that a lot of the fights are performed by stunt-doubles.
The film predominantly rests on the shoulders of the lead, and despite all attempts to suspend my disbelief, I often found it hard to imagine a woman, whose waist is as thick as my wrist, surviving the insurmountable odds against her. Gadot is capable of demonstrating an emotional range, and she can sometimes move with the grace of a dancer, but there were just as many times when she was as wooden as my desk. To be frank, unlike Angelina Jolie, Sigourney Weaver, Mira Sorvino or Gina Carano, Gadot doesn't have the build of a believable action heroine - especially when she's running, which left me feeling a movie with Jing Lusi's agent Yang at the helm would have been more engaging.
Furthermore, it is a real shame that actors like Glenn Close and BD Wong were afforded only minor cameos, as these greats could have really elevated the movie. A saving grace though is one of the antagonists, Keya, who, in a film where most characters have lack-lustre backstories merely told to us in a sentence or two, she comes across as more than one-dimensional, with a genuine desire to use The Heart to see justice done. This makes for a sympathetic villain, who you hope can be redeemed.
The globe-trotting adventure does include some great location and set design, a car chase sequence in the film's second act showcasing this best of all. I guess that is a good metaphor for the film as a whole - it looks beautiful, but there is not enough quality beneath that skin-deep façade. To be honest, after 20-minutes, I was thinking of turning the movie off. I don't regret seeing the film to its final act, but I cannot see myself watching it again either. This is just one pop-corn movie that is more corn than pop.
Extending on the above, Heart of Stone can be accused of aping other spy thrillers, with scenes that will remind viewers of Quantum of Solace and The World is Not Enough, to name but a few. That said, the film can never outdo the features which inspired it.
Stone (Gal Gadot) works with international spy agency The Charter, a pseudo-Kingsman. With the power of the Heart, a technological McGuffin that can control or predict just about anything, their agency is basically unstoppable. Posing as an M16 agent, Stone works alongside Parker (Jamie Dornan), whose role is as under-developed as it is generic, and shamefully underused agents Yang (Jing Lusi) and Basiley (Paul Ready), who bring a lot of fun to their roles. When their mission, to intercept an arms smuggler, is compromised by genius hacker Keya (Alia Bhatt), whose end goal is to get her hands on The Charter's most prized weapon, Stone must work against the clock, and her own organization, to stop The Heart getting into the wrong hands.
Though Heart of Stone follows a similar routine to other spy thrillers - mission goes wrong - the protagonist is abandoned by their agency - protagonist must redeem themselves and save the world - the feature does include one twist that was undoubtedly well executed. However, the script is as contrived as they come, with characters often magicking their way exactly where they need to go. Despite the rare one-liner, the script didn't always sell the narrative of a believable spy thriller, which is not helped by more than a few lines draped in cringe.
The final confrontation is, for the most part, well directed. There is a short-lived but enjoyable motorbike chase, and two explosive sequences that are very engaging - one instance of hydrogen + bomb making for a phenomenal scene. This is helped by the original score of Steven Price, whose accompanying action soundtrack really elevates the entertainment. However, half of the action scenes fall flat, with poorly choreographed stunts, including characters who clearly do not hit their opponents, leads who attack with the force of a toddler, and an over-emphasis on amateur wirework. This is not helped by many sporadic cuts, presumably used to hide the fact that a lot of the fights are performed by stunt-doubles.
The film predominantly rests on the shoulders of the lead, and despite all attempts to suspend my disbelief, I often found it hard to imagine a woman, whose waist is as thick as my wrist, surviving the insurmountable odds against her. Gadot is capable of demonstrating an emotional range, and she can sometimes move with the grace of a dancer, but there were just as many times when she was as wooden as my desk. To be frank, unlike Angelina Jolie, Sigourney Weaver, Mira Sorvino or Gina Carano, Gadot doesn't have the build of a believable action heroine - especially when she's running, which left me feeling a movie with Jing Lusi's agent Yang at the helm would have been more engaging.
Furthermore, it is a real shame that actors like Glenn Close and BD Wong were afforded only minor cameos, as these greats could have really elevated the movie. A saving grace though is one of the antagonists, Keya, who, in a film where most characters have lack-lustre backstories merely told to us in a sentence or two, she comes across as more than one-dimensional, with a genuine desire to use The Heart to see justice done. This makes for a sympathetic villain, who you hope can be redeemed.
The globe-trotting adventure does include some great location and set design, a car chase sequence in the film's second act showcasing this best of all. I guess that is a good metaphor for the film as a whole - it looks beautiful, but there is not enough quality beneath that skin-deep façade. To be honest, after 20-minutes, I was thinking of turning the movie off. I don't regret seeing the film to its final act, but I cannot see myself watching it again either. This is just one pop-corn movie that is more corn than pop.