We liked the first Extraction very much at Last Movie Outpost. Why? Because it harked back to a simpler time. A better time. It was like the 1980s action heyday of Arnie and Sly. It was a no-nonsense action thriller where people got shot, and lots of things blew up. There was no need for the message or a sassy sidekick. It was just a stoic, professional man with a particular set of skills doing his job, as the world around him dissolved in hail of gunfire. It was a tremendous time to drink heavily on your couch while testing your surround sound system to its limit.
You don’t realize how much you miss that type of movie until you notice they have largely been taken away from you.
So the sequel, imaginatively titled Extraction 2, arrives on Netflix today. You can watch it tonight with a beer, or seventeen! Now the reviews are out and it looks like it is scoring favorably against other big releases this week. it is sitting at 81% on Rotten Tomatoes, ahead of The Flash (68%), Asteroid City (73%), and Pixar’s Elemental (76%). Lots of reviews talk about the main selling point of the movie. Like the first, it favors practical stunts over VFX. Here is a selection:
“There is no story, no stakes, and no humanity in Sam Hargrave’s sequel to his 2020 film. But as pure, brutal action, it is undeniably impressive.”
Jordan Hoffman, TV Guide
“Even seasoned pros and cinephiles will gape and wonder how they pulled off any number of the shots and sequences here… This may not be a particularly good film, but you’ll definitely see things here in a way that you’ve never seen them before.”
Todd McCarthy, Deadline
“It’s an assault on the senses, especially the ears and the nerves, but it’s also a satisfyingly merciless action thriller that manages to build on the scale and ambition of the first. Roll on the inevitable threequel.”
Helen O’Hara, Empire
“Suffice it to say that if you enjoyed Extraction, you’ll have a fine time with this one, which, in typical franchise fashion, busts its butt attempting to outdo its predecessor.”
Frank Scheck, THR
“When this thing moves — and, wow, does it ever — it offers one of the best examples yet of what Netflix bucks can buy.”
Kate Erbland, Indiewire
Do you know who wouldn’t like a movie like Extraction 2? The kind of people who live in Los Angeles, or who read the Guardian, that’s who. So…
“Feeling inessential and disposable, a cog in a machine rather than something unique, Extraction 2 is a snapshot of a sequel in this moment, bigger, expanded and even less necessary.”
Mark Olsen, LA Times
“The first Extraction was entertaining enough but this new one is just cynically about extracting the cash.”
Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
Well, I know what I am doing tonight. Chill the beers, and get out of my spot on the couch!
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