Nitro Circus: The Movie
I sat down on my couch and turned on this thrill ride of a movie just expecting some crazy stunts and crashes. That's what I got, but I received more than that as well. The movie is based on each member on the team, and the team's rise to fame. By the end of the movie I could only remember four of the ten some-odd members by name, but that didn't really matter. You still felt for them, even when they weren't hurling their bodies off of huge jumps. They all had something unique about them, and that uniqueness is what keep the crew, and the movie, together.There's a lot of what I expected. Grown men (and woman) jumping modified tricycles off ramps. And that's not their only mean of doing so, they use dirt bikes, BMX bikes, kiddie rafts, and an assortment of trucks, buses, and cars. A specific member of the team, "Wheels" has a spine deformity, so he kicks it in an epic wheelchair. Each member is likable in their own way, though they introduce some people far after they've been introduced through dialogue and screen time. The stunts are never underwhelming. Moments like jumping a 450 foot gap in between skyscrapers on tricycles, Nitro Golf, and trying to pull of a full airborne car roll like in spy movies are highlights.
The point that is trying to be made throughout the movie, which is conveyed well, is that there's always someone's life on the line in Nitro Circus.There are many interviews with famous celebrities such as Channing Tatum, Rob Dyrdek, and even the rival cast of Jackass give the Nitro team props for doing real stunts knowing full well that they could die. The stunts are never disappointing. Even when they fail miserably you can't help throw your hands in the air and yell "OOOOOOOOOOOOH!" It's sick. But there's always the elephant in the room, "Dude, if he misses, he'll die." That adds an insurmountable sense of anticipation to the setup of the stunts. Though there are some of them where you think, "Well, that'll hurt. But he's not gonna die." Then there are others where you can't help but expect someone to die. It ends up with a perfect blend of over-the-top awesomeness and suspending you on the edge of your seat. Very well done balance.
They get in to heavier situations, ones immediately dubbed "sketchy". One of which causes the incapacitation of a team member (Not DEcapitaion. Very different subject). Though once he has his accident, you never see anything else of him. You never learn what happened to him. You never see him again. This made me angry. You grow to love this guy, then he's suddenly injured severely, and you're left with no conclusion to his status. It made me horribly upset. Though this also shows the film ability to make you feel deeply for a bunch of stunt dudes and dudette so quickly. The ending was also incredibly underwhelming. It leads up to the Las Vegas performance they worked so hard for, and they show maybe five minutes of footage from it. You are given glimpses of guys flying through the air and either landing it, or failing miserably, only to stand up like a champ. The only stunt you see fully fulfilled is Wheels' stunt, which, mind you, is properly epic. And then it just ends. No final word from the crew, no breathtaking finally massive stunt, just a fat guy with his shirt off screaming. Then we see the credits. I was annoyed with the ending. They could have done it any way differently and I believe it would have been better.VERDICT
8.5 out of 10
Pros
+ Crazy spectacular stunts
+ Likable crew
+ Wheels
+ Never fake. Not once.
Cons
- Underwhelming loss
- Horrible ending
I model my reviews after IGN's verdict centers.
Wow! Really great review. My only suggestion is that with the new Blackboard Journal background image, it makes it pretty hard to see the dark red text. Other than that, keep up the awesome!
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