Ares is not the kind of film I'd normally watch, I've just had a spate of good luck with French cinema lately so hoped for the best.
It tells the story of a struggling futuristic France where 15 million people are unemployed and even more homeless. Prize fighting has become big business and our story follows a washed up fighter reeled back in by big pharma and their legal enhancement supplements.
Despite the subject matter this isn't the brainless macho action feature you'd expect, it's fairly smart and paints a grim dystopian future where people are desperate while the top 1% manipulate them.
I appreciated everything they did here, though it's certainly not my kind of film that made something out of a very played out formula.
Good writing saves it to a degree and I'd say this is a watchable affair for anyone who likes their action films with a hint of intelligence.
The Goood:
Well written
Fairly smart little film
The Bad:
The brainless aspects still exist
Not as polished as it could have been
Plot summary
In a near future, the world order has changed. With its 15 millions of unemployed citizens, France has now become a poor country. Its people wavers between rebellion and resignation and find an outlet in the shape of TV broadcast ultra brutal fights in which the players are legally doped and unscrupulous.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
Director
Top cast
Movie Reviews
Arès: Smart dressed as dumb
Interestingly prophetic....
Ares is an interestingly prophetic sci fi film from France.
Given the rise of corporate control and big pharma, its not too much of a stretch to envision a dystopian future where people are cannon fodder for drug dollars.
This is an action film first and foremost but its an intelligent one. The premise it starts from offers up one possible grim future that's quite plausible and builds from solid, rational foundations.
Perhaps the only downside of this film is it does feel a little abrupt at times, with an ending that could have had more impact had it been handled with a little more care.
Nonetheless, this is a quality production I can recommend. Seven out of ten from me.
Good concept, mediocre execution
I think they had a pretty cool and original idea. I also really like the super gritty "Robocop Detroit style Paris" they created; the sets + CG shots of the city were very well done. Unfortunately the writing and directing were just so so, the acting was pretty lacking and the fight scenes subpar. At barely over an hour, this would be a decent indie short film, but as a supposedly full fledge movie it just doesn't cut it.