Review: Back in Action – The Reflector

Mild spoilers ahead.

Actors Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx put on a great show in their new Netflix movie, “Back in Action.” It was a great family movie, but it was not one I would watch again.

The movie itself was not bad altogether, but the plot was predictable and the ending was expected. The acting was good, as Foxx and Diaz are trained professionals and I enjoy their movies. However, this movie seemed forced.

To start, the plot felt like something that I had already seen before with spy parents giving up their action-packed lives to start a family. This is something that has been done before with the “Spy Kids” series, which is almost the exact same concept, or “Killers,” a similar plot but less family-oriented. The action scenes themselves were great, and the special effects were high-quality — that does not make up for the lack of substance throughout this movie. It felt like I could predict the next move before it actually happened.

The plot twists, while shocking, were not enough to make this movie as original as it needed to be. With a storyline that has been played out before, I expected more from two veteran actors.

The messages in the movie were clear and they were great for families. The movie taps into issues with younger generations, like reliance on the internet and the lack of connection between parents and children. I can definitely see a family with younger kids going to sit down and watch this movie with their kids, but that being said there is a high level of violence in the movie. It felt like the movie was stuck between target audiences.

The messaging felt like it was geared towards a family with younger children but the content would have made more sense and more of an impact on older audiences. It showed the importance of connecting with your parents and not letting the internet rule your life.

Overall, this movie was good; it had exciting action, good messages and great actors. It is not something I would deem an instant classic or even recommend to those I know, but it is not something I was upset about watching.