When the news first broke in on "Force Of Nature" it was met with a lot of controversy and backlash in Puerto Rico. The reason being people felt the creators were exploiting the tragedy of Hurricane María which destroyed the Island and killed thousands of people.
Having seen the final product I can safely say those concerns were met as they inserted actual destruction and news footage onto the film. Let's face it, not the first time an American movie does this. A couple of years back something similar happened with "The Haunting Of Sharon Tate" and "Remember Me". They don't care about your feelings more than making a quick buck. I also don't believe in censoring art. I believe in not seeing something that you dislike (or else I'd be boicotting those Christian movies). In the end, those movies end up sinking themselves into a void without any help.
As for the movie well, I'll call it "by the numbers", uninspired, cheap, lazy, forgettable, cliché. But we already knew that from the trailer. And what is up with the soundtrack? Sounds like a bad Steven Seagal's movie.
There's not much a story as it is a survival tale of a group of people & police officers trapped in a building while a hurricane category 5 is taking place and some criminals are hunting them down. Still, this is a fairly entertaining direct-to-video action thriller somewhere between a sci/fi channel "movie of the week" and a Netflix original if you know what you're in for.
The cast is what elevates the material above ground. Mel Gibson looks drunk & bloated for all the running-time. Emile Hirsch (Into The Wild) & Kate Bosworth (Superman Returns) look really uncomfortable but they give decent performances. David Zayas (Dexter) & Stephanie Cayo (Club De Cuervos) are the only ones who seem to be having any fun. There's also some local talents like Johanna Rosaly, Jorge Luis Ramos & even local weather reporter Adan Monzón making cameos.
The action sequences leave much to be desired in terms of creativity and intensity. But there's a fight scene involving 3 characters that is the most energy this film has. There's a funny side story involving a wild animal that made me cringe and reminded me of another movie filmed locally last year involving Nicholas Cage and a wild tiger.
In the end, you can do much worse than "Force Of Nature" and unlike "Alita" you won't be sitting forever. This is the kind of "so bad is good" movies to kill a few hours and make fun of. The best part is you won't remember anything the next day.
P.S. I can't believe the budget is $23,000,000. I'm guessing most of that went to Mel Gibson....
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