Welcome back for another edition of A Second Look with Jeff Stockton! In this segment I will take a "second look" at a past LRF release with a fresh set of eyes.
Video game adaptations have always been a part of LRF, and one of the most anticipated in its history has to have been Season 11's Bioshock adaptation from HG Hansen, who made a return to to the studio after a few seasons away earlier this season with We Were Never Here. Much of that anticipation admittedly came from the game's acclaim but also with other Hollywood studios' attempts at bringing Bioshock to the big screen over the years. When Bioshock finally hit the big screen in Round 2 of Season 11, it arrived with a colossal thud - it bombed at the box office and (to a slightly lesser degree) with critics. In my own original (negative) review of the film, I mentioned its failure to develop its main character past the boring stock hero of the game as a major reason for its failure.
Upon revisiting Bioshock, I definitely noticed the same problems with its main character. Why would the audience care about a hero completely lacking in personality? Well, I once again had no feelings or affection for Sebastian Stan's Jack character. One positive I will say, is that the film did a better job of explaining its world than I remembered. It's still not a good movie by any means, but there are at least small things here and there to appreciate that I didn't fully remember going back into it. Also, between this film and his more recent turn in Elvis, I think it is safe to say that Tom Hanks really just isn't very good in villainous roles.
Original Grade: D-
New Grade: D+
Bioshock Link: https://lrfdatabase.weebly.com/bioshock.html
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