Max Payne Movie Review

   Max Payne is a videogame adaptation starring Mark Wahlberg (Rock Star, The Italian Job) as Max Payne, a cop disturbed by the murder of his wife and baby. The film also stars Mila Kunis (That 70s show) as Mona Sax and was directed by John Moore (Flight of the Phoenix). Its a story about a cop determined to find his family’s murderer and the reason for the incident.

  Since its an adaptation, I want to talk about the similarities of the film and its source material. As someone who has actually played and finished the game, I can confirm that there were quite a few similarities in terms of overall theme, visuals and story. The story was basically the same. Max always remembers the day his family was taken away. Although for those of you who are familiar with the game and have seen the trailers, you’re probably wondering what the hell those winged creatures are. Don’t worry. They are given a fair explanation in the film and they surely add some great effects in some scenes. The overall theme is quite similar to the game. The setting is always gloomy and only a few bright colors are visible, which makes them more attractive once the colors are given focus on screen. CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) is almost always present in the entire duration of the film because of the snow falling. Watch out for them and you’ll understand. Other than snowflakes, there are quite a few great Visual Effects applied in the movie such as Bullet Time. Of course, this wouldn’t be a complete Max Payne Movie without the ever famous Bullet Time. It is the effect where the movement of the people or objects on screen that are so slow, that you can see bullets flying through. This provides for some great looking scenes in the movie. They really went crazy with bullet time. 

   Mark Wahlberg gave his given character justice. Old Marky Mark is just suitable to play an insane guy. My favorite part of the movie is the parking lot scene. Watch out for it. Mila Kunis truly adds eye candy to this movie. Her face suits Mona Sax very as she gives that dark, mysterious stare. Unfortunately, her petite sbody structure isnt too convincing for playing an assasin. Also watch out for familiar faces such as rap star Ludacris and singing sensation Nelly Furtado.

   The side where the movie falls a little short is probably the story, particularly the development of the characters. Some people in the film just practically passed by and could have added to the depth of the story. The flow of the film sometimes feels rushed. Fortunately though, you wouldn’t be lost in the development all too easilly as each phase are explained fairly before moving on. Even though one of the good points of the movie are the Visual Effects, there are times where it felt like they could have done better. Some scenes were framed in such a way that its too obvious that they were set ups for a CGi sequence. 

   Overall, Max Payne is a fun movie to watch. Whether you have played the   or not, as long as you enjoy good action sequences, you’ll surely enjoy this movie. Although it really is a plus if you’re familiar with the characters and the setting. Remember that even though it is Rated PG13, DO NOT bring the kids with you.