It may seem unfair to say, but I've begun to expect the worst out of Netflix's big-budget action movies. Over the years, these have pretty much just disappointed time and time again, be it Red Notice, The Gray Man, The Mother, The Adam Project, The Union, Heart of Stone, Atlas, Project Power, Spenser Confidential, the list goes on. Don't get me wrong, there are outliers to this, with The Old Guard and Extraction being entertaining efforts, but for the most part I have begun to expect little of the truly expensive and major action projects that the streamer kicks out.
Needless to say, my hopes for Back in Action weren't particularly high. This movie is the grand return to Hollywood for Cameron Diaz, who has just ended a decade away from the spotlight and has decided to break that trend by taking on a leading role alongside Day Shift's Jamie Foxx. The two stars play former spies turned husband and wife, who are thrust back into a life they left behind almost 15 years ago all to protect their two children. As far as the plot goes that's the basis, albeit creators Baywatch's Seth Gordon and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem's Brendan O'Brien add some additional flair in the form of a global espionage and black market plot involving a run-of-the-mill super gadget that can bring the world to its knees. If you've ever seen a Netflix action movie before, this all seems shockingly familiar to some degree.
The plot never really surprises or impresses. It's all traditional and typical action that is designed to be as digestible and easy to consume as possible. We're not talking about a thrilling Christopher Nolan or George Miller epic here, nor a complexly put together action showreel like John Wick or Mission: Impossible. Like Baywatch, this film doesn't ask or expect anything from the viewer, it's simply perfect media to put on during a lazy Sunday afternoon when you want nothing more than to while away the hours like a couch potato.
But what I will say is that the Diaz-Foxx dynamic works well and the two familiar stars have a strong chemistry. They don't need to be as titillating as some of the salacious innuendo-driven leads of action's yesteryear, mainly because this film is designed as a family experience first and foremost. They can be hilarious together however, and the action scenes do tend to have a strong flow and choreography to them, even if there is still the occasional daft use of cheap CGI that makes you appreciate the physical stunts and chaos much more. There's nothing to make you realise how important watching a physical real car crash is in a film than that scene following a ridiculous CGI cut that reminds you of nitrous oxide being pumped into the engine of a Japanese sports car in a Fast and Furious flick. It's unnecessary and frankly ugly.
Otherwise, Back in Action has a decent pacing that keeps you entertained throughout and a supporting cast that mostly presents strong enough performances. Jamie Demetriou's Nigel is on the cusp of being unbearable at times but the rest of the cast do a good job at presenting their characters in multi-dimensional ways, at least to a level that you would expect from a more traditional action film like this. However, I will note that Kyle Chandler struggles to present his case for being a compelling villain, and frankly all the way throughout Back in Action, you never at once fear for the protagonists or good guys, and looking back, I don't think I ever saw one of them with any form of wear and tear or battle scars from their adventure, which pretty much says it all about the gravity of the situation they find themselves in.
I won't go as far as saying that Back in Action delivers the same disappointment as some of the Netflix action films we've seen as of late, but it's certainly not a brilliant film either. It's forgettable and bang-average at the best of times, and frankly three months from now there won't be much I remember about this film beyond the fact that it was Cameron Diaz's return after a decade away from making movies. Watch it, don't watch it, you won't gain or lose much regardless of the decision as Back in Action is just another mediocre Netflix film in its growing portfolio of middling expensive action epics.