New Movies On Netflix May 2018: Review Of The Uneven Sci-Fi Thriller ‘Anon’
Several new movies on Netflix just arrived during May 2018, including another addition to their sci-fi catalog, Anon. With titles like The Titan, Bright, ARQ, iBoy, and Spectral, among many others, Anon joins a long list of Netflix sci-fi movies. The streaming company clearly likes the genre, and while it does have its moments, Anon fails to entertain compared to more recent installments. Written and directed by Andrew Niccol (writer, The Truman Show), the 100-minute film stars Clive Owen (Inside Man), Amanda Seyfried (While We’re Young), and Colm Feore (Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit).
With an abysmal audience score of zero percent on Rotten Tomatoes, out of 48 votes, the site provides the premise for one of the newest movies on Netflix.
“Sal Frieland (Owen) is a detective in a world with no privacy, ignorance, or anonymity; where everyone’s lives are transparent, traceable, and recorded by the authorities; where crime almost ceases to exist. But in trying to solve a series of unsolved murders, Frieland stumbles on a young woman known only as the Girl (Seyfried). She has no identity, no history and is invisible to the cops. Sal realizes this may not be the end of crime, but the beginning.”
Many Netflix movies made in the same vein rely on excessive exposition to get to the main premise. Andrew Niccol successfully avoids the exposition-city pitfall, and the movie starts off strong. The film features an original concept, and the fantastical technology presented is timely amid current events. Throw in some cool special effects, steamy scenes, and some nifty POV shots, and there’s a lot of entertainment in this modish thriller.
For the first part of the film.
In what should have been an intriguing second half, it doesn’t take long for Anon to exhaust its stay. The intriguing concept fails to deliver past the first 30 or 40 minutes, and the story quickly goes flat. Filled with scenes that drag and leads who look bored, this Netflix entry quickly becomes a lackluster outing that loses its charm.
The movie never regains the dynamics from the first half. By the time Netflix audiences get to the climax, they will likely not care. Instead of the ending sequences enticing suspense, they encourage laughter thanks to some ridiculous POV shots. It’s like two different people, who didn’t look at the other’s footage, made this film.
If you need a movie to have on while you’re doing laundry or other errands around the house, then this will probably do. But if you’re trying to find either a thought-provoking story or just an entertaining popcorn flick, then watch Bright.
With uneven delivery, an anticlimactic ending, and uninspiring performances, Anon is one of the most disappointing movies on Netflix new to May 2018.
