American Ultra

Don't awaken or betray the hidden, trained, CIA killer operative, working in the convenience store, who has a weed-fiend alter ego or you will regret it. A shaggy haired low life stoner and his girlfriend suddenly find themselves being hunted by the best of breed special ops soldiers. Yet something awakens in the stoner and let's just say things don't go as planned for the special ops soldiers. This is an entertaining action movie with an absurd plot full of dry humor and several notable actors and actresses. Mixed all together and this is an unexpected recipe that would be welcomed at mid-level restaurants; a couple notches above Pizza Ranch.

This review does not contain spoilers, it just talks about the actors and the general mood the film has.

I started watching this expecting to hate it quite a bit, because I really don't like Jesse as an actor at all. I was quite surprised to find myself laughing, feeling and getting excited from the very beginning. I guess you could say that this movie was "ultra" fine ;). The action was great with enough blood for someone who likes movies along the lines of Kick-ass and similar. The comedy was funny enough to punch through the serious moments of the movie to give you a quick laugh before it throws you back into the quite depressing storyline. The twists (while i expected them a mile away unfortunately) had you feeling heavily for the protagonist. My final thoughts about this movie are that Kristin Stewart really can give a great performance. Do not judge her just on twilight.

If you don't enjoy this movie even a little bit i think you really need to lighten up.

I had a great time with this movie. Jesse Eisenbergs character is really likable and and laid back, even in the face of explosions and gunshots. It's not An Oscar worthy movie, but it is what it is. A fun action movie.

The story of this movie has been told over a million times in recent years. A ...special secret (!) program of the CIA that generates Jason Bourne-like super soldiers. Such programs had over the years lots of cool names like Daylight, Treadstone, etc. etc....so for this movie...Wiseman (!) it is! Wiseman is supposed to cost ...$400,000,000 and American Ultra had a budget of $28,000,000 but it doesn't show...

The movie has an amateurish style and direction. It is aesthetically not pleasing and it looks like they shot it in a parking lot over the course of a weekend.

I'm not a fan of Kristen Stewart but I consider her a good actress with a broad range of facial expressions and emotions and she delivers in this movie too. Topher Grace is adequate too but the rest of the cast looks like they prefer to be somewhere else including Connie Britton and the veteran Bill Pullman.

There are some actions scenes where the mighty spy kicks some ass but overall the movie fails to produce a satisfying result.

Maybe in the hands of a more capable director and a reworked script (written by the son of John Landis) this movie could be better. At least for 90 minutes of action fun...

Anyone who watches this movie and takes it at face value won't enjoy it. As is often the case with over the top, over exaggerated movie, check your common sense at the door and ride it like a roller coaster.

American Ultra is ultra violent, ultra simplistic and yes, a little stupid. But I think it's supposed to be?

As B Movie or just "childish R Rated" pleasure, this movie works. A lot of things going for it actually: a very punch mise en scène, some good casting and good performances from Kristen Stewart & co. given the genre and topic.... and yes, good fun.

Given the negative reviews, this may sound defensive but I am sure that a lot of people will enjoy it for what it is. DOn't expect the next Avengers and yes, don't expect anything deep.