Makes no sense

Rating: 3/10 (11 November 2013)

What a pointless waste of money and talent this film is! According to Box Office Mojo it was budgeted at $58M, grossed $90M domestically and yielded a successful sequel. This is evidence of the vapid taste of the today's moviegoer.
The picture is intended to be a comedy and also an action adventure. But the screenwriters have failed to understand the distinct requirements of these two genres. A comic scene does not require realism; surreal comedy is fine. Action, on the other hand, works only when there is a strict internal logic to support genuine menace. The action here does not respect any internal consistency. It ranges from serious to absurd for no apparent reason. The result is that the audience cannot feel a sense of danger at any point.
What is worse, the ideas and events here are very serious. The story eventually arrives at a US Vice President who was once a blood soaked black ops killer, and who during the film orders the death of a dozen or more innocent people to cover up his past. Yet this is played for laughs. Comedy should have some meaning even if just poking fun at things that don't make sense; it should ultimately be a sincere comment if it is to be honest art. What possible comment is this script making?
The comic book that the film is loosely based on certainly makes a real comment. There is no joking around in the comic. It tells the story of a retired CIA assassin who is disgusted by the new generation's lack of stomach for the awful things that sometimes must be done in the interest of the nation. How this evolved into the aimless farce on screen I do not know.
Somehow a fantastic cast was rounded up and put into the service of realizing this script, and I suppose that the audience showed up to see those famous names. Malkovich's Marvin delivered the funniest moments. But I wish all of them had found a better project to attach themselves to.