JONAH HEX (B-)
This movie is one that surprised me as I expected nothing more than to dislike it when buying my ticket. I am not a huge fan of Megan Fox's typical attempts at acting, especially trying to pull off a southern accent like this role required. Even with her being a vital piece to this project, she did a suitable job with her part and helped make Jonah Hex a decent movie. Considering I walked in expecting failure because of the atrocious ratings it has received (14% approval on RottenTomatoes), I walked out appreciating the movie as a success for what it was trying to achieve. Jonah Hex is a respectable western.
Jonah Hex is a comic book novel adaption to the big screen about an outlaw who lost everything and seeks revenge against the man who took everything from him. After watching his wife and child burned alive by his mortal enemy in the story Quentin Turnbull played by John Malkovich, his life is changed forever. The murder of Hex's family is at the very beginning of the story and quantifies the new "lifeless" cowboy who murders the scum of the earth to fill the void left by his dead family. Surprisingly, Malkovich's portrayal of his character was one of the worst pieces of this movie.
The narrative itself was nothing special, but it was elemental. By that I mean that the tale played out in a predictive manner, but featured all the elements of a reasonably well told story. While Jonah Hex is the only character the script really focuses in on, Turnbull and his thugs are despicable enough to create loathing for their gang and their plan of destruction for the growing United States. Every time I had a question in mind about the story, the script seemed to provide a competent explanation for my inquiry. Not always the best reasoning mind you, but enough to create understanding.
From some of my past reviews, many of you can garner that I am usually a cynic when it comes to cliché blockbuster movies or mindless comedies. For some reason, even though this movie is almost as much a cookie cutter product as The A-Team, I thought it had at least a beating heart with some emotion where The A-Team did not. Despite most of Jonah Hex fitting the blockbuster design, it had enough originality to give it distinction amongst the other common action movies.
Overall, Jonah Hex was not anything I would go out of my way to see again, but I would check it out for a second time if the opportunity presented itself. The action is solid and fun to watch, especially some of the gun fights. The story is easy to follow and interesting enough to keep the viewer entertained til the conclusion. And most of all, Josh Brolin pulls off his part as Hex almost masterfully. If you have already seen the gems Toy Story 3 and The Karate Kid, give this western a chance. Don't see this in place of either of those movies, but as far as entertainment goes, it is definitely an enjoyable flick.
*
