By Roberto Gonzalez / Staff Writer
By Roberto Gonzalez / Staff Writer
A future in which high technology can open the imagination of people to the impossible is what the story is about in the new science fiction movie “Lockout.”
The film follows Snow, played by Guy Pearce, who is a sarcastic ex-government official who is falsely convicted of murdering his partner on an undercover mission.
Snow has a been given the chance to be free if he can rescue the president’s daughter, Emilie Warnock, played by Maggie Grace.
Warnock sets foot on a mission to investigate the side effects of the treatments that inmates of maximum security must receive and whether it is humane.
The action unravels when viewers realize that the jail, MS:ONE, a prototype jail, is located in space.
Warnock is a straight forward character and she wants nothing but the best treatment, even for inmates who have committed horrible crimes.
Snow must rescue her from all the inmates who have unleashed themselves and taken control of the ship.
The suspense comes together when the inmates realize the president’s daughter is on the ship.
The film gives a sense of mystery with the action, but it was unique because it contained comedy from Snow throughout the movie, who carried himself without worries, yet was focused on his mission.
Watching this movie reminds the viewer of the 1981 film “Escape from New York” because it basically contains the same plot except that the prison is in space rather than New York.
Snow has similar characteristics to that film’s main character Snake Plissken, whose mission is to rescue the president from a prison.
“Lockout” expressed the characters plainly; the bad guys were bad and the good guys were good. The viewer was not mislead or confused throughout the film.
Although the film was action-packed, it had its confusing moments, as the whole film seems to be compacted into its 95 minutes.
At one moment Snow is outside the prison, and the next he is crawling around. The viewer is left wondering if this really is a maximum security prison.
How did he just get inside with no alarm or security device going on?
This brought viewers back to the realization that it is just a film because of the location and the inefficiency of the guards to control the inmates running loose.
One would think a prison in space would be expensive and a waste of money. With that said, “Lockout” is a great film that leaves viewers with an imagination and experience that can continue to (and just might) unravel more secrets even though it has many unrealistic moments. Although it is a fun film, it does not match up to great science fiction films such as “Star Wars,” “Aliens” and “Star Trek.”