RELEASE: METROID PRIME

 

Metroid Prime

Genre: Action/Sci-Fi

Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga

Writer: Dawson Edwards

Based on the video game series

Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Jamie Foxx, David Tennant, Anthony Ramos, Zoe Kravitz, Stephan James

Budget: $170,000,000

Domestic Box Office: $98,669,049

Foreign Box Office: $240,127,880

Total Profit: $66,229,489

Reaction: The Metroid Prime is still very successful, but we'd be lying if we said we didn't notice the sizable dip in profits for this sequel compared to the first Metroid entry.

"Metroid Prime succeeds where many video game adaptations fail: it understands atmosphere. Cary Joji Fukunaga turns the Orpheon into a genuinely unnerving haunted-house-in-space. Jennifer Lawrence gives Samus an appealing emotional weariness without overplaying the character’s stoicism, while Jamie Foxx brings surprising gravitas to Commander Nemo. The film occasionally leans too heavily on exposition logs and supporting characters explaining lore, and longtime fans may wish for more exploration-driven pacing, but the Ridley confrontation absolutely delivers." - Scott Anderson, SyFy

"The second film in the Metroid-verse delivers a tasty visual treat with satisfying intense action and gruesome body horror. Edwards and Fukunaga took the most logically correct direction for the franchise and I was never left bored. The supporting cast does a decent enough job to give Samus some people to play off of, but they do seem like we don't get to know them too much to care what happens with them. The 3rd Act gets cramped and we do get a bit too much Ridley fatigue given we've seen him too much at this point. Hopefully a 3rd film could give us a new threat instead of Ridley. Overall, a great entry into the franchise." - Dexter Quinn, Cinematic Observer Newsletter 

"Metroid Prime looks impressive, but too often feels like a generic sci-fi blockbuster. The lonely atmosphere of the games gets buried beneath exposition-heavy Federation characters, predictable team dynamics, and lore dumps about Phazon and government corruption. Jennifer Lawrence is solid as Samus, but the script rarely lets her carry the isolation or mystery that defines the character. Even the Ridley showdown, while flashy, leans more toward noisy CGI spectacle than personal catharsis. Stylish in stretches, but frustratingly conventional where it matters most." - Cal Crowe, Washington Globe

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, disturbing images, and thematic material.