Ralph Glorioso
Netflix has been giving out quality content since the start of 2021. Among the streaming giant’s first batch of films and series, they present Anthony Mackie’s action-packed sci-fi movie Outside the Wire. Ever since the 15th of January, the movie has been given both praise and criticism alike. With all the Netflix buzz, it deserves and currently holds a place in the streamer’s Top 10 list––topping it all like how a cherry would for ice cream.
Outside the Wire is a RIDE. If you love sci-fi and action thrillers, you will NOT be disappointed. pic.twitter.com/KCAZ26hNJW
— Strong Black Lead (@strongblacklead) January 16, 2021
Set in the year 2036 and the Easter European warzone, Leo (Anthony Mackie) is a wisely dangerous android soldier who was teamed up with drone pilot Thomas Harp (Damson Idris). The two soldiers were given a chance to work alongside each other after scenes of Harp leaving the battlefield to leave two marines dead. Now, he’s witnessing the true effects of war.
With a platform as big as Netflix and stars as big as Anthony Mackie, you’re sure to have millions of people watching the film. With watchers, of course, comes critics, and critics haven’t been too kind to Outside the Wire. The general judgment of the film usually centers around how it didn’t reach its truest potential––given the fact that they had such a brilliant concept to work with.
As of writing, Rotten Tomatoes scores it at 38% which isn’t really the most optimal of scores, to put it very lightly. However, that doesn’t mean that Outside the Wire wasn’t met with great praise.
Critic Glenn Kenny said in his review for RogerEbert.com that the “visual effects are decent, the cast is better than decent.” Amon Warmann from Empire has also given the cast the praise it deserves but ultimately saying that the film “rarely rises above being a serviceable action thriller.”
San Jose Mercury News critic Randy Myers wrote “Outside the Wire is an efficient, fast-paced rollercoaster ride that’s smart and buoyed by a razor-sharp screenplay and two magnetic performances.”
No film is perfect nor does any live up to certain expectations, but the Netflix film still had some really good moments. Sci-fi is impossible to master with imagination and technology the only things hindering the genre.
