[Review] Big Game

Big Game is a limited release with a title and poster that reeks of a C-movie, screaming 'straight-to-DVD'. But it's actually a lot of fun, and probably deserves to be a minor word-of-mouth hit.

Oskari (Onni Tommila), a not-so-crafty 13-year-old boy is stranded in Finland's wilderness, with just a bow & arrow. He witnesses a plane crash in the forest, and one of the survivors is, yes--President Samuel L. Jackson (Samuel L. Jackson). Turns out there are a group of assassins on the President's trail, and the unlikely duo team together in order to escape safely.

It's a pretty straightforward premise, but it's also just oddball enough to feel fresh. The brisk pacing and interesting dynamic between the two main characters keep it engaging no matter how ridiculous things ring, even though half the time you might be thinking, "How does Samuel L. Jackson have time to do all this?" The survival aspect makes the film sort of feel like a more lighthearted, smaller cousin of The Hunger Games, but with 80s action vibes.

It never reaches levels of greatness, but it certainly isn't bad either. In the end, Big Game is a film that envelops the spirit of a young child's dream of being a hero, and that's a sentiment that is easy to agree with.

7/10