Thoughts

The story has been adapted to the screen at least twice, most famously by Spielberg in 2005. This time, they took the overdone “everything is on the computer screen” approach and stuck Ice Cube front and center to put on a show. But he does anything other than put on a show, he practically sounds like he's reading the script for the very first time with his finger dragging across the lines as he reads.

While hilarious in many regards, what makes this a standout film to me is the rapid switch into serious drama between the characters, where life and death are considered. The first two-thirds of the film or so are a straightforward hangout comedy, with an ensemble cast of characters messing with one another as they go about their daily lives. The final act completely subverts the audience’s expectations...