DVD Review: Big Game

For the full version of this review, visit Starburst.

Thirteen-year-old Oskari is from a tough, manly community in Finland in which everyone is a man and every man is expected to go hunting on his thirteenth birthday and bring back an animal which represents the man they’ll become. His father brought back a bear. Thing is, Oskari’s not as manly a man as his father.

On his own hunting trip, after failing to find any animals worth killing (let’s not get into that…), he bumps into the President of America. Also known as Bill. As played by Samuel L. Jackson. You see, Air Force One has been shot down by terrorists and the Pres is stuck in the forest, with a traitorous Secret Service agent on his trail. Now it’s up to Oskari to escort Bill to safety.

The terrorists pursue Bill and Oskari through a series of action sequences, each one more ludicrous than the last, especially when this thirteen-year-old turns into a miniature Van Damme and jumps from a cliff onto a helicopter. It’s really not a film that stands up to much thought – in terms of anything that happens in the plot, quite a lot of the dialogue, or indeed the dodgy gender politics inherent in the “becoming a man” character arc.

It’s far from the best action film you’ll see this year, but to thirteen year olds looking for an enjoyable adventure, or to retro action fans looking for a reminder of simpler times, Big Game provides ninety minutes of unapologetic escapism.

Big Game is released on DVD and Blu-ray on 21st September.