Movie adaptations of video games are always met with caution. For whatever reason, even the most well written games do not translate as well to film. The Complex: Lockdown is different event for video game movies. It is based on a full motion game. Many people think these “walking simulators” are more movie than game anyway. Adapting one for the big screen is not that much of a leap.
Dr. Amy Tennant (Michelle Mylett) heads the biotechnology department for the K-Corp. After a terrorist attack on London, Tennant and her associate Rees Wakefield try to decide whether to save one of the suspected terrorist’s life. To make matters more awkward, the two used to date. Plus, there are assassins in the building who have already made up their minds about what to do.
There are a lot of similarities to today’s headlines. For example, a major part of The Complex is about a bio weapon that has been created in Southeast Asia. This will be an immediate turnoff for those who are trying to escape the horrors of the real world. Thankfully, the film is not a one to one copy of what is happening, but it is hard to escape the feeling the movie is the cinema version of clickbait.
Things remain cliché for the most part. The characters and situations will be familiar to anyone who has ever seen an action movie. This is not necessarily a bad thing. The Complex has enough set pieces to keep things exciting. The characters do not fare as well. The actors do the best with what they are given. Some of the dialogue would not be acceptable even in the more forgiving video game world.
The Complex: Lockdown makes a relatively successful transition from video games to movies. The movie is more of a commercial tie in that an actual adaptation and it succeeds on that level. The story flows much smoother that would be expected and there is a nice twist in the film. It suffers from a lack of originality, but it is a fun watch.
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