6 Underground Netflix Review

Honestly, even by Michael Bay standards, it's kinda…good? Don't get me wrong, it's over the top and ridiculous as all hell, but unlike the worst of Michael Bay there is a great deal that remains practical, they actually keep it at a reasonable runtime (2 hours rather than 3!), and they mix up the action so you never get bored of one type of thing happening. It almost feels like Michael Bay used all he learned from those s***y transformer sequels to actually make a good movie here. Unfortunately, the story is where he hasn't learned much. The basic premise we get is fine. Despite being both outlandish and bare-bones, I still want to see them succeed. The problem is in how it's told. Oftentimes it will jump around in how the team got together and with Bay's cocaine-fueled directing style this out-of-order narrative becomes a little disorienting. It also tries to have something of a bigger message about our current state of the world and dictators. Not a bad idea per se, I'm just not sure this is the movie to do it in. Still, it's a fun movie. It's surprisingly restrained in all the bad things about Bay but goes full force in the fun stuff.

Whether you like Michael Bay as a film director or not, it goes without saying that he has a very distinct style and never lets audiences deter him from that, which is commendable, even though most of his films are misses. From The Island to Pain and Gain, he has made some films that I quite enjoy, but nothing that was ever thought-provoking or broke new ground. 6 Underground is his latest directorial effort and it's just as grand and bombastic as his most ridiculous films. Although better than where his recent Transformers movies have been, this film isn't nearly as good as some of his best. Here's why this movie has plenty of style, but ultimately feels like a headache.  Following six agents who have gone off the grid and call themselves ghosts, form a team to save the world. All having unique skillsets, this film does everything it possibly can to utilize them. When this film first gets started, there's no shortage of action. Stating who these people are, 6 Underground begins with an action sequence that lasts a full 20 minutes. After that, we dive into these characters a little deeper as the film makes you wait for the second half, which is entirely about the set pieces. Although not a great movie by any means, there's no shortage of action for the junkies out there.  I feel that this movie found its footing in the second half, but the first half of this movie truly gave me a headache. From the quick cuts to the unnecessary excess of camera angles, this movie feels like too much of everything, all the time. There are even cuts within shots in order to give a kinetic look and feel like the movie is moving at a quicker pace. Although it's a neat style for a music video, that's how this entire movie felt. It really does feel like an over-produced music video with exposition breaks in between the action.  As far as the cast goes, Ryan Reynolds is as charismatic as ever and everyone from Corey Hawkins to Mélanie Laurent delivers some enjoyable performances. The problem is that these characters are spread out in the field too often to really be working together, so there wasn't enough time for chemistry to form between any of them. The action is the only real saving grace here because there are some terrific set-pieces. Although far too frenetic overall, the action is nearly always practical, which was great to see.  In the end, 6 Underground is one of Michael Bays weaker movies, which is a shame, because it also features some of his best action in years. I had a blast watching the third act of this movie, but the rest of it just kind of annoyed me. I've been a defender of his recent movies in 13 Hours or Pain and Gain, but this movie just technically missed the mark and the story was far too messy. For those who just want to see some cool action, I can recommend this one, since it's easily accessible on Netflix, but it's really not worth the two hours. Some nice elements aren't enough to save this bombastic piece of Bayhem.