Genre: Action/Sci-Fi
Director: James McTeigue
Writer: Willem Mainwright
Based on the video game series
Cast: Chris Evans, Harrison Ford, Sam Claflin, Max Irons, Stephen Lang, Diego Luna, Gina Torres, Vincent D'Onofrio, Olga Kurylenko, William Fichtner, Kerry Condon, Veronika Bonell
Plot: In 2027, Solid Snake (Chris Evans) and Otacon (Max Irons), now members of the organization Philanthropy, are investigating the development of a new Metal Gear by the United States Marine Corps. Snake arrives on the tanker transporting the weapon in the middle of an attack by Russian mercenaries, led by Colonel Gurlukovich, his daughter Olga (Olga Kurylenko) and Snake's enemy Ocelot (William Fichtner), who has transplanted the right arm of Liquid Snake. As the mercenaries take control below, Ocelot betrays Colonel Gurlukovich, killing him. Just before Ocelot can commandeer Metal Gear RAY, Snake emerges and confronts him. Ocelot becomes possessed by Liquid Snake and escapes with RAY, leaving the ship to sink. In the aftermath, Snake is blamed for the disaster and is believed dead. The Big Shell clean-up facility is constructed to help clean the New York Bay after the oil spill that from the tanker sinking.
Two years later, a terrorist group calling themselves the Sons of Liberty seize control of the Big Shell. The group consists of former special forces unit Dead Cell and Russian private army members, who were apparently being led by Solid Snake himself. The terrorists took nearly 30 people hostage, one of whom was US President James Johnson, who had been on an inspection tour at the time. The Sons of Liberty demands $30 billion, and they claim that if their demands were not met, they would destroy the Big Shell. Not only would this ignite the crude oil in the Harbor, wiping out the bay's ecosystem becoming an environmental disaster.
Raiden (Sam Claflin) is ordered to rescue the hostages from the Sons of Liberty. Raiden infiltrates the Big Shell by sea while SEAL Team 10 entered by air. Raiden discovers a recently cut hole in the Big Shell's oil fence. After successfully entering the deep sea dock he radioed his commanding officer, the Colonel (Harrison Ford), about a possible intruder other than himself. The Colonel was taken by surprise. Regardless, he ordered Raiden to proceed with caution.Entering a hatch Raiden noticed a guard was picking himself up from the floor, having apparently regained consciousness, before heading off in the opposite direction. Following the guard, Raiden witnessed another guard being thrown out of the nearby elevator, knocking him unconscious.
The Colonel directed Raiden towards a computer node, which would allow him to access the Big Shell's network. The Colonel then revealed to Raiden that he had selected the "perfect" systems analyst for the mission: his girlfriend Rosemary (Kerry Condon). Though Raiden was initially unhappy about this development. Raiden then accessed the node, his nanomachines bypassing the security clearance, and pulled up a map of the dock, allowing him to activate his Radar. .
Raiden discovered many slaughtered bodies of the SEAL Team filling a hallway, and with the President nowhere in sight. The one responsible was Vamp (Diego Luna), a mysterious vampire-like member of Dead Cell who ambushed and slaughtered virtually the entire team.
As Raiden made it to a connecting bridge, he encountered Bravo Team, who had managed to surround Dead Cell leader Fortune (Gina Torres), with the President in her grasp. Firing their weapons, the SEALs were unable to hit her, as every bullet veered away from her, and grenades failed to detonate, as though she were gifted with a supernatural luck. Seeing the hopelessness of their situation, and having been ordered to conceal his presence, Raiden chose not to intervene. Fortune then proceeded to kill all the members of the SEAL team.
Receiving a call from the Colonel, Raiden was informed that both SEALs helicopters were shot down by a Harrier and that the SEALs assault was just a diversion to cover Raiden's infiltration. The Colonel also told Raiden that they had received intelligence regarding the presence of C4 explosives, which had been planted throughout the Big Shell facility. However, when all the bombs were disarmed, Raiden learns that all of the "baby" C4s were simply diversions for the real bombs, which were hidden in the lower levels. The two were large enough to disturb the structure's integrity and destroy the entirety of the Big Shell if they both detonated. It also turned out that the real bombs were programmed to activate after all of the baby C4s were disarmed. Although Raiden was only able to diffuse one of the bombs, with the other exploding.
Raiden was confronted by Fortune, who was surprised since she had been expecting to find somebody else. Nevertheless, she remarked that he may still be able to "bring her death." Fortune attacked Raiden, devastating the surrounding area in the process with her railgun. Raiden, unable to hit her, could only evade her attacks. Raiden was soon contacted by Campbell, to relay a demand made by Fatman (Vincent D'Onofrio): Raiden must head to the heliport otherwise another bomb would be detonated there, destroying the entire facility. Shortly thereafter, Vamp arrived in the area to inform Fortune of Fatman's apparent betrayal. Raiden, taking advantage of the distraction, took another shot at Fortune, though the bullets were deflected away from her, and hit Vamp in the forehead and lower chest. While Fortune cradled Vamp in her arms, lamenting that she herself could not follow him in death, Raiden made his escape. However, moments later, Vamp awakened, having shrugged off the seemingly fatal attack.
With the bomb's countdown having already begun, Raiden headed to the heliport, and neutralized the explosive. He was then confronted by Fatman himself, who professed his disinterest in Dead Cell's and the Sons of Liberty's goals. Fatman was also suspiciously unaware of the existence of the ransom demands for $30 billion. His only wish was to become the most famous bomber in history, by destroying the entire Big Shell. Challenging Raiden to stop him, he proceeded to place multiple explosives in the area, utilizing his quick speed. Raiden was forced to neutralize each bomb in turn, with coolant spray, while fighting Fatman at the same time. Raiden's perseverance eventually paid off, with Fatman collapsing from his injuries. Informing him that he had yet to disarm the "biggest bomb in the place," Fatman passed away. Raiden, however, discovered this last bomb, which had been hidden beneath his body.
The bomb threat now over, the Colonel informed him that the hostages, including the President, were still in danger and that the only way to rescue the hostages was to extract them via chopper. Raiden proceeded to leave the heliport in order to locate the President when he was confronted by the Cyborg Ninja; an exoskeleton-encased soldier, brandishing a sword.
The Ninja revealed to Raiden that the terrorists had access to a nuke which could be activated, since the nuclear football that could activate the nuke was brought to the Big Shell by a Navy Captain. The Ninja told him that the nuke wasn't brought by the terrorist themselves, but that it was already in the Big Shell to begin with since the Big Shell wasn't really a decontamination plant. In reality, Big Shell was housing a new Metal Gear. The Ninja then left, although not before supplying Raiden with a cell phone for future texts.
Before Raiden could be captured by Ocelot's forces, the Cyborg Ninja rescued him, permitting Raiden to escape. Raiden then headed to President Johnson's location, but on his way there, he runs into Solid Snake then told Raiden to shoot it the terrorists' chopper down, throwing a Stinger missile system down to him. Successfully doing so, the Harrier plummeted, only to be caught by Metal Gear RAY, which had been hijacked from the U.S. Marines two years earlier. RAY proceeded to launch missiles into the air, destroying sections of the Big Shell, and damaging the chopper, forcing it to land. RAY then departed into the ocean, taking the Harrier with it.
After recovering from RAY's attack, Solid Snake contacted Raiden by Codec, informing him of the situation, and introducing him to his partner, the chopper's pilot, Otacon. Otacon had rescued Snake from the sinking tanker two years earlier, and Snake had faked his own death using the body of Liquid Snake in place of his own. They revealed to Raiden that they were there to stop the terrorists from using the new Metal Gear prototype, continuing their work for the anti-Metal Gear NGO Philanthropy. They also told Raiden that Otacon has another reason for being in the Big Shell: to rescue his sister, Emma Emmerich (Veronika Bonell).
Having been convinced that the "nuclear button" had been successfully accessed, due to RAY's sudden appearance, Raiden immediately headed towards the Shell Core to rescue President Johnson. After entering the Shell Core, Raiden listened in on a radio conversation between Olga Gurlukovich, and the terrorist leader. Olga stated that she had unfinished business with Solid Snake, and that after the whole mess, she and her men were to leave for Russia and live for themselves. Olga then activated an electrified walkway, leading to the room in which the President was imprisoned, to prevent him from trying to escape. Unable to reach the President, Raiden went into the flooded lower floors of the Shell to locate a Nikita remote-controlled missile launcher, and successfully managed to destroy the control panel for the electricity.
Raiden proceeded into the President's room, where he was told about the Patriots, a mysterious organization that secretly ruled over America, even deciding who the next President would be, and that no one knew who the Patriots really were. Johnson only knew that every key decision was made by a group of twelve men called the Wisemen's Committee. He also explained that the terrorist leader was actually his predecessor, George Sears, who was known by the codename of Solidus Snake (Stephen Lang); a clone of the legendary soldier Big Boss, created in the "Les Enfants Terribles" project. And it was Solidus who orchestrated the Shadow Moses Incident in 2005, but was removed from office by the Patriots. Solidus wanted to challenge the Patriots, unlike Johnson, who had simply wished to become one of them. Johnson also confirmed to Raiden that the Big Shell was merely a cover up for the construction of Arsenal Gear; a gigantic mobile fortress that employed mass-produced unmanned Metal Gear RAYs to defend itself, and had the ability to fire nuclear warheads from anywhere on the planet. It also had access to the Military's Tactical Network, allowing it to have absolute control over the nation's armed forces and its nuclear arsenal. However, Arsenal's true purpose was to filter information from the internet, and other forms of digital communication, using an AI called GW. By doing this, the Patriots wished to shape history as they saw fit, while maintaining the secret of their own existence.
Johnson’s last request was that Raiden locate Emma Emmerich, and provide her with a computer worm to eradicate the AI. Feeling he'd said everything he needed to, Johnson suddenly grabbed Raiden's gun, attempting to have Raiden shoot him, thinking that he was to kill him. Raiden resisted. However, before the President could make Raiden kill him by shooting him inside the mouth, Revolver Ocelot suddenly intervened, shooting Johnson before Raiden could act. Afterwards, Snake told Raiden that he knew about the existence of the Arsenal Gear project and the Big Shell being a front for the project, and, as such, there was no threat of dioxins being released. Afterwards, Snake told Raiden what had happened during the Tanker Incident, how the Patriots had used the incident to launch a smear campaign against Snake, and how the U.S. Marines' RAY project had conflicted with the U.S. Navy's (and the Patriots') Arsenal Gear project.
Raiden then headed to find Emma. On the way he fought and defeated Vamp, confused as to how he could still possibly be alive. Before his defeat, Vamp revealed that even without the possibility of a nuclear strike, they could still use Arsenal's purified hydrogen bomb to emit an EMP over Manhattan knocking it offline. He also hinted that, contrary to what the press stated, Dead Cell was actually framed for the terrorist acts six months prior by the Patriots.
Raiden then rescued Emma, although he first had to convince Emma that he wasn't with the terrorist group, and managed to convince her that he wasn't among them by showing her that he had Codec nanomachines. While taking a short break, Emma told Raiden what she knew about the Patriots. She explained that she had created GW, Emma then mentioned that there was supposed to be a major test within the next few days which was to provide GW with complex data to study.
Emma slowly made her way across the shell core, with Raiden and Snake providing cover with sniper fire. Emma was almost all the way across, when Vamp appeared once again, holding her at knife point. Raiden quickly fired at Vamp, "killing" him once again, but before he fell into the ocean, he stabbed Emma. Snake ran to her, shooting down nearby Cyphers along the way. Snake then took her to the Shell Core. When Raiden got there they were inputting the virus that Emma has created to destroy GW.
Emma and Otacon shared one final moment together, before she died as a result of her wound. At that moment, Snake discovered that the virus had not installed properly, and the trio came up with a plan to get inside Arsenal Gear, their only choice now being to take out Solidus and his men. Otacon, heartbroken, decided it would be best if he attempted to help out the hostages as he would only get in their way. Snake reassured him that he was the only one who could save those hostages, and Otacon set off.
After Otacon had left to rescue the hostages, Snake mentioned to Raiden that they may need a hand getting inside. Just then, the Cyborg Ninja appeared once again and revealed himself to actually have been Olga in disguise. Raiden was then knocked unconscious by Olga, with Snake saying that he didn't recall ever saying he was on Raiden’s side.
When Raiden came to, he was tied to a torture bed completely naked. Solidus and Ocelot talked to him, with Solidus remembering that he taught Raiden everything he knew during the Liberian Civil War, when Raiden's real parents died. He was the star of Solidus' Small Boy Unit, earning him nicknames like "Jack the Ripper" and "White Devil." Solidus now had an eye patch over his left eye (which was damaged when Raiden took down the Harrier) with Ocelot commenting that he was the "spitting image of Big Boss."
After Ocelot left, Olga walked in and told Raiden about her child, whom she had never met because she was stolen by the Patriots. Olga told Raiden that if he were to fail this mission, her child would be killed. Olga could not let this happen, and she had been sent in by the Patriots to assist Raiden. She told him that Snake was waiting up ahead, before leaving the room.
Raiden then received a call from Rose, asking him if what Solidus said was true, which he admitted. He had been a child soldier, raised by Solidus to be a ruthless killing machine. After making his way through the hangar which housed many mass-produced Metal Gear RAY units, he was called by Rose again who nervously told Raiden that she had been a spy for the Patriots all along. She became his girlfriend, simply to keep an eye on him, but truly fell in love with him. She changed her appearance to suit his desires, but her transmission was eventually cut-off with her final words being "Jack… I’m… pregnant, Jack…your baby."
After his bonds were released by Olga, a distressed Raiden pressed on and met up with Snake. Snake apologized for his earlier "betrayal" saying he needed to use Raiden to sneak his way into Arsenal Gear. The two then battled their way through the Arsenal Tengu and, on the way, Otacon discovered that the Colonel Campbell who had been helping Raiden throughout the mission, wasn't the real Colonel, but an AI created by GW, cobbled together from Raiden's hopes and expectations. Just then, Snake was confronted by Fortune, who had been waiting for Snake as she believed that he killed her father. Snake and Fortune prepared to battle as Raiden headed up a nearby ladder, and Raiden appeared on a giant platform. Concealing his presence, Solidus called out to Raiden, telling him of the S3 Plan, or Solid Snake Simulation, which had been devised to create the perfect warrior through VR training; training which Raiden had previously undertook. Raiden was then forced to battle a horde of Metal Gear RAYs, destroying several with his Stinger missile launcher, before eventually giving in to exhaustion and falling to his knees. As Solidus emerged from his hiding place, he was ready to kill off Raiden before Olga jumped out in front of them, confronting Solidus. As she gave her life to save Raiden and, therefore, her child, Solidus ordered the remaining RAYs to kill Raiden, but Emma's GW virus started to take effect. Angered by this new development, Solidus destroyed the remaining RAYs and cursed the Patriots. As Fortune entered the area with a handcuffed Snake, Raiden passed out.
When he awakened the next day, Raiden found himself, Solidus Snake, Revolver Ocelot, Fortune and a handcuffed Solid Snake atop Arsenal Gear. Solidus then revealed his true intention: locating information within GW, regarding the identities of the Patriots. Solidus planned to hunt down the individual members, while Fortune and the Sons of Liberty would unintentionally serve as a diversion with their command of Arsenal Gear (since they actually planned to nuke Manhattan with the purified hydrogen bomb instead of going along with Solidus' original idea of using it to create an EMP field to black out Manhattan).
Ocelot, seemingly amused by this plan, then revealed to the group that the entire incident had actually been orchestrated by the Patriots all along, and that similarities between the Shadow Moses Incident and the Big Shell crisis were much more than mere coincidence. The renegade special forces unit Dead Cell, Raiden's relationship to the terrorist leader, and a computer virus that mimicked FOXDIE, were all elements scripted to turn Raiden into the perfect soldier. Similar to President Johnson, the Patriots had used Solidus's ambitions for their own ends. However, the one thing that they had not planned on was the appearance of the real Solid Snake, which is why the AI Colonel had repeatedly told Raiden that Snake wasn't part of this simulation, and not to rely on his help. Ocelot then proceeded to kill Fortune, revealing that her apparent supernatural abilities were simply the result of Patriot technology, and climbed aboard Metal Gear RAY. However, when Ocelot fired RAY's payload, a dying Fortune miraculously deflected its missiles, protecting Raiden, Snake and Solidus.
As Ocelot prepared for a final assault, his arm suddenly spasmed and he was once again possessed by the "spirit" of Liquid Snake. From RAY's cockpit, Liquid proclaimed that it was he who had leaked information about Arsenal Gear to Solid Snake in order to draw him out to the Big Shell. Armed with Ocelot's knowledge of the Patriots' whereabouts, he intended to go and destroy them all. After directing Arsenal Gear onto a collision course with Manhattan, Liquid climbed back inside RAY and took off. Snake, having broken free of his handcuffs, dove into the ocean after RAY.
Arsenal Gear proceeded on its course, crashing into the banks of New York City and through the streets of lower Manhattan, destroying a sizable portion of the Lower Westside of the city, before stopping at Federal Hall. After falling from Arsenal to the Hall's rooftop, and recovering their senses, Solidus attempted to explain his motives to Raiden: expressing frustration at being unable to pass on his own genetic legacy, he wished to be remembered in history. He wanted to destroy the Patriots, not for his own greedy ends, but so that he could restore freedom, civil rights, and opportunities, which had been taken away.
Raiden then received a Codec call from the Patriots, via another AI in the form of both the Colonel and Rose. The AI explained the true nature of the Patriots' goals to Raiden, hinting that they now existed on a digital plane of existence. The dawn of the digital age had allowed for an overabundance of trivial information that would remain intact forever, and accessible by anyone, which supposedly threatened the development of human society. Rather than "Solid Snake Simulation," the S3 Plan actually stood for "Selection for Societal Sanity," and the entire incident on the Big Shell had been orchestrated in order to test S3's crisis management capabilities, echoing what Emma had said earlier. The memetic information that would be passed on to future generations would therefore be decided by the Patriots, since they believed themselves to be in a stronger position to do so over humans. The Patriots considered most humans' tendency to prefer politically correct thinking over acceptance of unpleasant truths harmful to society as it would create great amounts of junk information that would bury what was indeed true.
The AI then ordered Raiden to kill Solidus, and he was forced to comply after realizing that the lives of Olga's child and Rosemary depended on his victory. Solidus told Raiden that he needed to kill him in order to determine the location of the Patriots from the nanomachines in Raiden's head. In order to provoke Raiden into fighting him, Solidus revealed it was he who had murdered his parents. After a vicious sword duel, Raiden struck down Solidus. His spine almost severed, Solidus fell from Federal Hall’s roof to the steps below and crawled his way to the statue of George Washington, arm reaching out towards the figure, before finally collapsing upon its base.
As Raiden stood outside the front of Federal Hall, Snake appeared and informed him that he and Otacon were going to find the Patriots using the virus disc (since it had been programmed to censor the names of the Patriots' leaders, it would have some form of indicator to identify what those names were), also revealing that the disc they had supplied Raiden with earlier was actually a dummy disc to ensure that their infiltration could go as planned without risking the Sons of Liberty gaining access to the worm. Raiden insisted on coming with them but Snake told him to stay, telling him that he still had things to do and "people to catch up with." Although the mission had been a simulation, Snake comforted Raiden with the fact that everything he had felt during the mission was his and his alone: it was up to him to decide what to pass on to the future, and to figure out his own purpose for himself. After Snake departed, Raiden was reunited with Rose, and the two vowed to make a life together, both figuratively and literally.
Some time later, Otacon and Snake "successfully" traced the Patriots, but discovered that all twelve of them were dead, and had been for the last hundred years. Snake deduced that the information retrieved from Arsenal Gear was false; it was only a fake lead orchestrated by the Patriots. With this, Philanthropy had lost their only lead, the future of the Patriots uncertain.
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