The Youth Of Today...

Rating: 3/10 (1 September 2012)

The creative philosophy underpinning DEATH RACE 2000, ROLLERBALL, THE RUNNING MAN and others re-imagined here for the TWILIGHT tweenies. A survivalist action-drama set in a dystopian future, it does for bleak prophetic sci-fi bread and circus flicks what TWILIGHT did for vampire cinema. It's teen-trendy, twee, diluted and toothless. Vapid, unchallenging and oh-so safe with every punch tastefully pulled, every mock-emotional set-piece carefully orchestrated to tug the superficial heartstrings of the wannabe emo self-harmer brigade. Overlong. Really overlong. And it was tripe.
What this stuff needs is jet-black humour and vengeful rebellion to make it work. For the protagonists to win and turn on the architects of their plight with guns. cudgels and knives and pulverise their asses in a climax of violence, retribution and destruction. Upon meeting Donald Sutherland's President, Katpiss should have stabbed him through the eyes with arrowheads and stamped the mockingjay pin into his nose with a jackboot. Then spat on his still twitching corpse.
The youth of today. What the hell's the matter with them?
Why did I watch this passionless, meaningless crap? It was new. It was in the house. I had time to kill. I'd heard some promising things about it. It was still against my better judgement, but I thought no, give it a chance. That'll learn me. Anything with the faintest hair-gelled aroma of TWILIGHTism about it, keep the hell away.