This time of year presents a challenge for moviegoers, as they’re forced to juggle between the various movies and TV shows that release daily. Clearly, there is no shortage of entertainment to enjoy, whether it’s Wes Anderson’s delightfully bizarre Asteroid City or Jennifer Lawrence’s raunchy comedy, No Hard Feelings — and let’s not even get started on video game titles like the surprisingly addicting Aliens: Dark Descent.
Let me add more excitement to your already crowded mind: this week, stay home and indulge in Netflix’s action extravaganza Extraction 2 — it’s awesome, and I don’t say that lightly.
For those who are unaware or missed the original Extraction when it debuted back in 2020, the Sam Hargrave-directed film follows the action-packed journey of Tyler Rake (played by Chris Hemsworth, bouncing back from that awful Thor movie) as he undertakes another dangerous mission to “extract” a mother and her two kids from their terrible father and his equally sinister brother. The plot is as thin as ice and primarily serves as a backdrop for elaborately produced set pieces, but the intense action sequences are executed with such precision that the story becomes secondary.
Rake confronts an endless swarm of faceless villains, hurling them from skyscrapers, propelling them from treadmills, and snapping them in half on leg press machines. It’s awe-inspiring. At one point, Hargrave delivers an extended 20-minute sequence that follows Rake and his team from a prison riot to the back of a moving train, where they engage in battle against waves of enemies and helicopters. Granted, it’s not genuinely 20 minutes but rather a series of prolonged scenes cleverly edited together, but my goodness, it looks incredible. And like the film itself, it keeps going and going…in a good way.
Extraction 2 is an action-packed epic that warrants repeated viewings, with the only downside being that you can’t experience it on a larger theater screen. Nevertheless, it delivers the goods, allowing Hemsworth to ditch the goofy Marvel antics to portray a stoic hero, supported by a talented cast that includes Golshifteh Farahani, Rudhraksh Jaiswal, and (in a brief cameo) Idris Elba. It’s uncomplicated, fun, and absolutely bonkers — with “fun” being the operative word here.
I constantly lament the state of cinema as we witness an influx of bland, empty big-budget blockbusters dominating the theaters each week, leaving little room for mid-tier productions. We need more creative offerings like John Wick: Chapter 4, Creed III, and Extraction 2 to counterbalance the endless stream of Hollywood mediocrity that inundates us.
While Extraction 2 may not reach the colossal heights of ’80s action classics like Die Hard or Commando, and it lacks the levity of Lethal Weapon and RoboCop, it operates on a similar level. There is no unnecessary excess or political undertones, and it maintains a crisp two-hour runtime — leaving you satisfied but eager for more.
So, for those seeking an exhilarating piece of violent entertainment, kick back on the couch, turn on the TV, and immerse yourself in Extraction 2. You’re in for an absolute thrill.
