Movie Review: Heads of State (2025)
Synopsis: After an embarrassing joint press conference, recently elected United States President Will Derringer, a former popular action movie star, and UK Prime Minister Sam Clarke attempt to show unity by flying to a NATO conference together onboard Air Force One. The plane is shot down over Belarus by a group of terrorists controlled by arms dealer Viktor Gradov. While Derringer and Clarke survive by parachuting prior to the plane crashing, they are presumed dead and must get to safety on their own. Meanwhile, the world is on the brink of chaos after Gradov gains access to a global surveillance program and releases evidence of NATO allies spying on and sabotaging each other.
Who's in it? The movie stars John Cena, Idris Elba, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Paddy Considine and Carla Gugino.
Review: I came across Heads of State on Amazon Prime a few days ago and, since I do seem to enjoy most John Cena movies, decided to add it to my list. My wife and I ended up watching it last night and, while it probably wasn't the best Cena movie I've seen, it was still entertaining.
There were quite a few things I liked about this movie. One of the main ones is it was a solid comedy. Derringer (Cena) and Clarke (Elba) were the perfect odd couple. Derringer was getting by on his popularity and his inexperience often led to him saying or doing something that wasn't appropriate while Clarke (Elba) was a seasoned politician who was often too conservative with his decisions and comments. Plus, while Derringer was an action star, Clarke had actual military experience. This led to a nice dynamic that worked whether they were conversing or fighting.
My favorite scene had to be the fight they had with a gang of thugs in Belarus, which had a good mix of solid punches and comical luck. It was a scene I would watch again just for the laughs.
What helped this movie was, while it was a comedy, the backdrop it was set against was surprisingly realistic. The main plot was the pair of politicians trying to get somewhere safe but the secondary plot about NATO being on the verge of disbanding because of Gradov's (Considine) well-timed release of sensitive material seemed like something that could happen.
I also liked the mystery surrounding who the traitor was inside either Derringer's or Clarke's inner circles. I will pat myself on the back by correctly guessing who that person was, but there were times when I did doubt myself until that person was finally revealed.
My only real complaint about the movie is I would have liked for Gradov to have a bit more depth. He seemed like an intelligent and intriguing bad guy but was mostly one-dimensional, driven by greed and revenge. I don't know if he needed more screen time or just a more detailed backstory, but he was definitely missing something.
Final Opinion: It's an entertaining movie both because of the comedy and because the plot is something I could see happening in real life. Again, it wasn't my favorite John Cena movie, but I still enjoyed watching it.
My Grade: B+
_______________________________________________________________
Here are some reviews of other movies starring John Cena:
Movie Review: Ferdinand (2017)
Comments
Post a Comment