Release: Gears of War 2

 

Gears of War 2

Genre: Action/Sci-Fi/War

Director: Zack Snyder

Writer: Mark Newton

Based on the video game series

Cast: Joel Edgerton, Edgar Ramirez, Glen Powell, Terry Crews, Lili Simmons, Uli Latukefu, Burn Gorman, Ray Porter, Ryan Hurst, Ted Levine, Nora Arnezeder, Martha Higareda, Bryan Brown

Budget: $180,000,000

Domestic Box Office: $227,807,339

Foreign Box Office: $347,127,048

Total Profit: $152,444,544

Reaction: The numbers for this sequel were slightly down across the board, but given that it still ended up with very high profits the drop is not enough to raise any alarms of concern at the studio.

"When it comes to constructing a thrilling action/horror spectacle, Zack Snyder's adept cinematography and ingenious use of CGI work to enhance the film beyond its inherent limitations. However, the movie's core appears vacuous, being yet another vehicle for relentless action sequences rather than an opportunity for a more profound narrative. The ensemble cast gives a commendable effort in handling the scant material, but their performances are insufficient to compensate for the narrative's dearth of compelling storytelling and its disappointingly unremarkable conclusion." - Rebra Colemon,  Metro Newspaper (UK)

"Much like the first Gears of War this was a fun, action spectacle. Sitting in the theatres watching this was a blast, I look forward to the next instalment if there is to be one, as there is not a lot of films that offer as much pure entertainment as these do." - Sam Nestera, The Daily Telegraph

"Some films really ask you to invest a lot of brain power and emotional attachment to their story and characters. The Gears of War films don't ask that. They are really all about the visual action experience. Some critics turn their nose up at these sorts of films, but I don't. I think Gears of War 2 is a very good version of that sort of film. And honestly, the script does put forth a bit of effort to build connection to its characters. Joel Edgerton may get top billing in this one, Uli Latukefu and Edgar Ramirez are the ones with the big, heart-wrenching emotional beats in the film that make it better than the first entry." - Dave Manning, Ridgefield Press

Rated R for violent sci-fi action, language and thematic material