Performance Worth Watching: This movie would be DOA without Ejiofor and Hathaway’s romantically volatile chemistry. They work quite nicely together. Little to no time is spent on the heist tropes you know and love, like gathering accomplices, planning their entrance, or actually carrying out the deed. Stream It Or Skip It: 'Marvel Studios Assembled: The Making Of WandaVision' On Disney+, Going Behind The Scenes Of The Hit Series, 'WandaVision': 6 Behind the Scenes Secrets from 'Marvel Studios Assembled', 7 Shows Like 'Big Sky' to Watch While You're Waiting for New Episodes, The CW Sets Spring 2021 Schedule, Announces Extended 'Riverdale' Hiatus, 'Ginny & Georgia' Cast Guide: Meet Brianne Howey and Antonia Gentry, Stream It Or Skip It: 'The Boarding School: Las Cumbres' On Amazon, A Reboot Of The Spanish Thriller Series That Launched Ana de Armas' Career, 7 Shows Like 'This Is Us' to Watch Between New Episodes Every Week, 5 Shows Like 'Firefly Lane' if You Love the Series. It wasn’t a regular quarantine movie, it was a cool quarantine movie, and the people were ready. More than once, you get the sense that the Zoom calls between actors were recorded separately, leaving them unable to play off of each other. 933. Steve Basilone on The Sweet, Scary, And Sweaty Personal Stuff That Made It Into His First Film 'Long Weekend', 'She's All That' Remake 'He's All That' Lands at Netflix, 'Failure to Launch' at 15: Unpacking A Truly Wild Rom-Com With A Bizarre Subplot Wherein Multiple Animals Attack Matthew McConaughey, Stream It Or Skip It: 'Safe Haven' On Netflix, The Nicholas Sparks Romance Where A Woman On The Run Teaches A Widower To Love Again, Stream It Or Skip It: 'Bad Trip' on Netflix, Eric Andre's Foul (But Funny) Hidden-Camera Prankster Comedy, How Much of 'Bad Trip' Is Real? many shows and movies tackling the pandemic, New Movies + Shows to Watch this Weekend: 'Bad Trip' on Netflix + More, Stream It Or Skip It: 'Who Killed Sara?' Locked Down, the new surprise HBO Max movie directed by Doug Liman and written by Steven Knight, is not the first major motion picture to be conceived, filmed, and then released during the pandemic. For those who saw Hathaway unhinged in Ocean’s 8, everything clicked into place. 933. In normal times “Locked Down,” streaming on HBO Max, wouldn’t amount to anything, except for one monologue that fills three minutes and has nothing to do with viruses. But the real weakness in Locked Down as a COVID storyline is the way it fails to integrate the virus into a story we actually want to watch, something many shows and movies tackling the pandemic have suffered from, as Decider’s Kayla Cobb pointed out. 2,914, This story has been shared 2,860 times. Movies like the Michael Bay-produced Songbird have stumbled, according to reviews, by trying to capitalize on the current moment instead of telling a worthwhile story. Locked Down is another movie filmed in these COVID-quarantine times like Malcolm & Marie, and the main stars, Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor, do the After suffering through Malcolm & Marie, I returned to this quarantine-inspired comedy, Locked Down, which premiered on HBO Max in January. No doubt these are extenuating circumstances to be making film and TV under. Locked Down is both and more, a dull assemblage of half-thought-through ideas written with such utter shoddiness, it’s a miracle HBO Max ended up buying it … With all that talent, Locked Down seems primed to outshine them. And there’s a bit of Liman’s Mr. and Mrs. Smith in there too. Meet Cle Bennett, 'Black Widow's Release Date Shuffle Opens the Door for 'Loki' to Premiere in May. Is the Movie 'Boogie' Based on a True Story? 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While there are some undertones of Locked Down‘s “going crazy in quarantine” theme, the main focus is making us laugh at how self-centered actors can be, buoyed by Sheen and Tennant’s easy chemistry, as first seen in Good Omens. 1,736, This story has been shared 1,703 times. When Will 'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier' Episode 3 Premiere on Disney+? Audiences don’t want to see characters being cavalier when it comes to safety protocols around this deadly virus, as Vulture writer Kathryn VanArendonk pointed out in her essay analyzing the haphazard use of masks on network TV. Directed by Doug Liman. 2,055, This story has been shared 1,844 times. And is it me, or is that a romantic spark rekindling the lovers’ flame? 1,226, This story has been shared 1,102 times. 4,125, This story has been shared 2,914 times. Get news & recommendations for Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, HBO, and more, in your inbox. There are some funny moments for supporting roles via Zoom. Which means that Doug Liman’s new film for HBO Max, Locked Down, set in a contemporary locked-down London, is … Here's a roundup of reviews thus far. Unfortunately, thanks to the government-mandated lockdown to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, they are stuck cohabitating for the foreseeable future. Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Locked Down’ on HBO Max, a Quarantine Comedy That Baits-and-Switches to a Diamond-Heist Thriller. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Much time is spent setting up random details to justify the circumstances for a heist, like Paxton’s fake ID, and why Linda’s corporate job might require her to do a jewelry store pick-up. Movies Reviews HBO Max While not the first film set during COVID-19, HBO Max’s Locked Down claims the dubious honor of being the worst so far. 1,102, This story has been shared 955 times. 955, This story has been shared 933 times. 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It’s exactly what you want from a COVID show: light-hearted, fun, with no one violating mask-wearing etiquette. What Time Will Eric André’s 'Bad Trip' Be on Netflix? (Warner Bros. Pictures) “Locked Down,” a strange hybrid of two different types of movie and available for streaming now on HBO Max, isn’t great. A couple attempts a high-risk, high-stakes jewelry heist at a department store. The film, which was shot last year, already feels dated. I wouldn’t pick a winner in this actorly cage match — they’re on equally strong footing. “Locked Down” is just an OK-to-pretty-good movie, but it’s a novel creation all the same. By Kara Hedash Published Jan 14, 2021 Locked Down features a stellar cast as well as an interesting premise, but the romantic comedy is being met by an underwhelming reception in terms of reviews. It feels long to gather narrative steam, wallowing a bit in the couple’s discomfort and cluttering itself with high-profile cameos by Ben Stiller, Mindy Kaling and Ben Kingsley. Workout Schedule, Stream It Or Skip It: 'Jiu Jitsu' on Netflix, A Martial Arts Actioner With Weak Sci-Fi Punch, Leslie Jones Gives Us the Honest Synder Cut Review We Deserve, Stream It Or Skip It: 'Lupe' On HBO Max, A Drama That Explores Themes Of Immigration & Transgender Identity, Stream It Or Skip It: 'So My Grandma's A Lesbian!' She’s a CEO who has to set up an online video call to let some employees go. What Time Will 'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier' Episode 2 Come Out on Disney+? Right: One of the two main characters in the movie, and specifically, the one who’s a delivery driver by trade. Unfortunately, the plot doesn’t deliver on either promise. But viewers also want an escape, one that can only come when the current pandemic lockdown is part of the tapestry, not the main focus. But the thing is, a few people have managed to pull off respecting COVID protocols, while still telling a fun story. Unfortunately, the plot doesn’t deliver on either promise. On Netflix, Where A Man Gets Revenge After Taking The Blame For His Sister's Death, Everything We Know About 'Monster' on Netflix, Kelly Clarkson's Entire Life Was Changed After Gwyneth Paltrow Said "WAP" On Air. https://decider.com/2021/01/14/locked-down-review-hbo-max-covid-story : Locked Down has the type of crispy dialogue that reminds of me of the rom-con (yes, I meant “con,” that’s not a typo) banter between Julia Roberts and Clive Owen’s rival corporate spies in movie-that-time-forgot Duplicity. But at least there’s a well-acted, cleverly written, movie of medium-slight meaningfulness like this to pass the time. Oh, and also those other coronavirus movies, but only in their overt coronavirusness. She’s angry; he frequently jokes about killing himself. 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Read more of his work at johnserbaatlarge.com or follow him on Twitter: @johnserba. Though Locked Down would have benefited from picking a lane, its issues run deeper. Well, there’s all kinds of character development before you get to it. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window). John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Locked Down just isn’t one of them. All this is just to say: there have been COVID stories done right. The premise follows a young director (Simon Evans, also playing himself) desperately trying to carry rehearsing a play over Zoom, while managing the egos of his arrogant stars, Sheen and Tennant. Locked Down review: HBO Max’s pandemic heist rom-com stars Anne Hathaway, Chiwetel Ejiofor, so many Zoom calls. Written and filmed during the disturbingly confusional 2020 maybe-quarantine or maybe-not-strictly-quarantine depending on what U.S. state or country you live in, the film boasts director Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow, The Bourne Identity), writer Steven Knight (Locke, Eastern Promises, creator of Peaky Blinders), stars Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor, and a pretty quick turnaround time, considering it began filming in late September. The traffic lights change from green to red for zero cars. It’s the second COVID-themed effort for HBO Max, following the perfectly OK political play-turned-sort-of-movie Coastal Elites; it also follows the terrible, just terrible, Michael Bay-produced exploitation thriller Songbird. Is the Movie 'Boogie' Based on a True Story? They used to be rowdy. A hedgehog fearlessly wanders the cement steps to an urban garden, a metaphor for something maybe, a symbol for another thing perhaps, but it’s definitely a very cute thingummy. When Will 'Invincible' Episode 4 Premiere on Amazon Prime Video? The short answer is that we shouldn’t. The first season of Staged, the meta BBC comedy starring Michael Sheen and David Tennant as themselves, is now streaming on Hulu in the U.S. while the second season is currently airing in Britain, and it is delightful. On Netflix, A Spanish Comedy With A Big Heart & Stellar Cast, Stream It Or Skip It: 'Your Name Engraved Herein' on Netflix, Taiwan's Most Popular LGBTQ+ Film, Abby and Riley Are Inspiring Lots Of 'Happiest Season' Fanfiction, 'Real World Homecoming' Episode 4 Recap: A Deeper Love, 'Real World Homecoming' Episode 3 Recap: Cringe City, 'The Real World Homecoming: New York' Highlights the Subtle, Seismic Ways Gen X Changed the World, 'Real World Homecoming' Episode 2 Recap: The Body Still Bangs, 'Falcon and Winter Soldier' Easter Eggs: 5 Things You May Have Missed in Episode 2. Is even floated you Want from her performance as a heist flick,.. 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