There must be a shortage of capable men, that's why women now seem to be the ones taking over in saving the world (if not doing something that only men usually do). Well, at least, that's how it looks in movies. We've seen Katniss Everdeen and Tris Prior lead powerful rebellions against their respective ironfisted governments, Clary Fray battle demons and supernaturals, and Jupiter Jones get crowned as the cosmic queen. I mean, from becoming mere sexual objects for playboy billionaires, they've gone as far as being the supreme leader of the universe, what else can these women do just so they could equate themselves with men? What about as an international assassin?
In Barely Lethal, 16 year-old Megan Walsh (not her real name) is a trained international assassin. This premise already engages interest and holds so much potential, but it fails to deliver a satisfying result. The problem begins when Megan leaves the academy where little girls are trained to become assassins. She fakes her death and enrolls herself in a suburban highschool, hoping everything is going to be normal. Only it turns out it isn't as easy as it seems. From here, the trajectory of the narrative disappoints immensely. It begins undermining the capacity of its lead character by dismissing the fact that she is a trained killer, exposing her vulnerabilities and teenage dramas, instead. This isn't a totally a insane idea, she's 16-year old, after all. But getting further dragged by bland one liners and intertwining subplots, makes it even worse. Eventually, in the wake of its competing concerns, it loses grip of its own direction and struggles to arrive to a decent endpoint. It also doesn't succeed tapping the utmost otential of its strong supports by not giving them enough material to work with. Jessica Alba and Samuel Jackson barely do something here, though there may be some little moments with their presence, that aren't really devoid of wit. Almost everything just falls flat, and the comic effort couldn't provide any aid, either, to redeem its sagging narrative.
By the time the movie is already fast approaching its finale, it isn't any more surprise if Megan never came close to any of those heroines mentioned earlier, and it really disappoints that she never really came to be someone interesting, either. Well, you may want to blame that to her unconvincing chemistry (not saying there's any) with both her love interests, and a boring villain whose presence may have only really felt during the last action sequence of the movie.
BARELY LETHAL wastes almost every promising attribute it has to live up to its overwhelming potential. In the end, it abandons what could be a unique take on the young espionage genre, and sets itself taking the leads of countless others it seems to emulate. The result is barely fulfilling.
In Barely Lethal, 16 year-old Megan Walsh (not her real name) is a trained international assassin. This premise already engages interest and holds so much potential, but it fails to deliver a satisfying result. The problem begins when Megan leaves the academy where little girls are trained to become assassins. She fakes her death and enrolls herself in a suburban highschool, hoping everything is going to be normal. Only it turns out it isn't as easy as it seems. From here, the trajectory of the narrative disappoints immensely. It begins undermining the capacity of its lead character by dismissing the fact that she is a trained killer, exposing her vulnerabilities and teenage dramas, instead. This isn't a totally a insane idea, she's 16-year old, after all. But getting further dragged by bland one liners and intertwining subplots, makes it even worse. Eventually, in the wake of its competing concerns, it loses grip of its own direction and struggles to arrive to a decent endpoint. It also doesn't succeed tapping the utmost otential of its strong supports by not giving them enough material to work with. Jessica Alba and Samuel Jackson barely do something here, though there may be some little moments with their presence, that aren't really devoid of wit. Almost everything just falls flat, and the comic effort couldn't provide any aid, either, to redeem its sagging narrative.
By the time the movie is already fast approaching its finale, it isn't any more surprise if Megan never came close to any of those heroines mentioned earlier, and it really disappoints that she never really came to be someone interesting, either. Well, you may want to blame that to her unconvincing chemistry (not saying there's any) with both her love interests, and a boring villain whose presence may have only really felt during the last action sequence of the movie.
BARELY LETHAL wastes almost every promising attribute it has to live up to its overwhelming potential. In the end, it abandons what could be a unique take on the young espionage genre, and sets itself taking the leads of countless others it seems to emulate. The result is barely fulfilling.