Interceptor Review

The best part of Netflix's "Interceptor" is a reoccurring cameo by Chris Hemsworth, playing an electronics store clerk, aloof during the threat of over a dozen nuclear missiles blowing up the US. Why's he in this little low-rent "Die Hard" knockoff? Along with executive producing it, his wife Elsa Pataky plays the John McClane character, white-tank top and all. She's a worthwhile star, so it's almost a shame to see her husband's star power being exploited to help subscribers click "play."

She plays Captain J.J. Collins, a victim of cancel culture when she refutes an unwanted sexual advance by a superior. What does that have to do with anything? Well, think of it as the film's way of being "relevant," considering it is very-much a real problem I'm afraid, but it stops short of offering a real victory for the abused.

See, after fellow men (I'm just guessing that women didn't participate) learn of her allegation, they trash her room with most unsavory graffiti, so what does she do? She attempts suicide, a dark backstory to our heroine, but she's saved by, guess what? A man! (A white man at that.) Sure, it's her father, played by Colin Friels, but what kind of message does that send? Man harass woman, woman reports man, other men harass woman, woman tries to kill herself, then other man saves her?

I know that's probably not the intent, since she is shown to be a badass, very-well capable of handing her own, but it goes to show you that either A) I'm reading too much into this or B) Hollywood isn't totally comfortable with an awesome female if she doesn't have some sort of strong man for her to look up to. Maybe it's actually option C) all of the above, but this is the kind of discussion "Interceptor" neither demands nor deserves.

Anyway, as for the actual plot: terrorist Alex Kessel (Luke Bracey) hijacks the only remaining nuke interceptor (ayyye) in the middle of the ocean after one in Alaska is destroyed. All part of his plan of course. With the missiles stolen from Russia (where else?), J.J. and her comrades Rahul (Mayen Mehta) and Beaver (Aaron Glenane) are trapped inside the central command.

The laws of basic actioner demands that, of the three "good guys" will die heroically and one will be a snitch. No spoilers, but never "leave it to beaver..." I'll let you draw your own conclusions here.

But wait- you interject, what about our leading lady? If you've ever seen a movie, ever, like any movie at all, you know what happens to her and the rest of the plot.

Remaining elements are boilerplate, with communication to the suits in "Washington," who just stand around and say "you can't let the bad guys in!" and other commonplace drivel like that. Worth calling out that the president is a woman as well, played by Zoe Carides, but in true cinema fashion, she's completely outnumbered by men at the table.

The only thing left to discuss is the villain, your usual "nice looking manic," but he lacks menace the role demands. He has all the right words to say, but I've seen toasters more threatening than Bracey here.

For a rather low-budget action film, "Interceptor" occasionally tries to look "bigger" than it is, with some dodgy CGI and greenscreen that would only be more noticeable had this been a theatrical release. Still, the mild thrills it offers are indeed thrilling, and it's kinda nice to see a modern "Die Hard" clone.