Review of Aftermath

Drama about a family man (Arnold Schwarzenegger) who loses wife, daughter and her unborn child in a plane crash. Also, we see what happens to flight traffic controller (Scoot McNairy) who seems at least partially responsible for the event. Ah-nuld is turning 70 this summer, but he's not planning a retirement after his decades-long screen career and the governator years. The problem is, the new generation doesn't miss him. His newer action movies have flopped – excluding „The Expendables" series but these can't be exactly called his movies – and plans for the „Terminator" reboot have been suddenly shelved. Still, there are plans for „Twins" sequel, „Conan" sequel and even more „Expendables. There's also a little problem of him still not being a noteworthy actor. Yes, he has charisma and looks natural on screen. But he doesn't exactly make us believe and transport to a new magical movie land with his acting, to put it in less-than-scientific terms. Having little dialogue and solid support from the cast and crew, he's OK. But there's too much acting – mostly sulking around and looking tormented – and not enough living the part to win me over. Schwarzenegger has taken on serious roles in two recent movies, „Aftermath" and 2015's „Maggie". Both are quite similar experiences: slow-moving, grim dramas drowning in their own heaviness and exhausting the viewer in the process. The atmosphere is palpably moody and grim but not much is happening really in any sense, so the constant struggle to build suspense doesn't bring results. There's also too much showing of Ah-nuld's world-weary face and every hair in his grey beard. It certainly would work in small doses, I guess. They could produce a nice showcase for 4K video… but not a feature-length movie. If there's something worse than watching another American made comedy-drama-lite about still having fun in old age – such as in „Going in Style" –, then it must be former action hero still trying to convince us that he can act. The supporting cast – in this case, everybody but Schwarzenegger – are actually doing a good work. McNairy gives a superior performance as a man tormented by his mistake, and so does Maggie Grace as his wife, but sadly they can't save the result. They could if the roles were reversed and Schwarzenegger was in a supporting role, maybe. This joke is probably more meaningful after actually watching „Aftermath" but: it would make more sense to serve the movie as a prequel to 1996's „Batman & Robin". The origins of Mr. Freeze, so to speak. Sadly, it doesn't share the latter's wacky sense of humor. At least the movie is short, 94 minutes.