Interceptor (2022) review: All action but little substance 

Interceptor is an action film that follows a nuclear attack on the US, which can only be stopped by an army officer still haunted by her something in the past. It is now streaming on Netflix.

Story

JJ Collins (Elsa Pataky) has been demoted after a certain incident in the past. She is now stationed at an interceptor base known as SBX-1 along with Rahul Shah (Mayen Mehta), Lieutenant Colonel Clark Marshall (Rhys Muldoon) and Beaver Baker (Aaron Glenane).

The purpose of the base is to intercept any nuclear missiles heading toward the United States from Russia. 

When 16 missiles go missing, they are given a high alert. Several terrorists infiltrate the base, threatening the destruction of the country.

It’s up to Collins to protect the interceptor centre and launch counter missiles in case missiles are headed toward the US.

Performances

Almost all performances lack nuance. You have characters pining over Collins just to show that they revere a female officer but the dialogues are nothing close to authentic.

Pataky does an adequate job as the tough officer who is flustered by nothing. And the choreography of her fights is decent.

The unhinged character of Kessel shows some promise and is the most interesting of the lot, ably played by Luke Bracey. 

Positives

The action is slick. Collins battles almost every terrorist singlehandedly and the fights are creative and engaging.

The film provides important information about how the interceptors work in case of a nuclear strike, even if the events are far-fetched.

Negatives

While the talk of her past is promising at first, it feels like a superficial attempt to add tension to the narrative. Her harassment in the past is only brought up briefly and never actually affects her ability to fight.

Yes, female officers need more appreciation, but the arc for a change in perception needs to feel more real. She shouldn’t need to beat up a group of terrorists alone for her to be recognised by the world.

This entire element feels forced onto the narrative and it would have been better for it to be an all-out action film instead.

It doesn’t help that there are scenes where the President is calling her a ‘rock star’. The film is nothing but worship of Pataky’s character.

Verdict

Interceptor has some good action sequences. But apart from that, there’s not much more the film offers and can be skipped without regret.

Rating: 2/5


Also Read: Interceptor (2022) summary and ending explained 

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