6 Underground review: Ryan Reynolds Netflix movie is for Michael Bay fans only
Last December, Bird Box arrived on Netflix and changed the game for the streaming giant's original movies.
That the Sandra Bullock post-apocalyptic thriller became so massive (despite being pretty average) showed the power of Netflix. It was helped by its arrival just before Christmas, and it's something that 6 Underground will surely hope to replicate this year.
Like with Bird Box, there is serious star power attached, as 6 Underground is directed by Michael Bay, written by Deadpool's Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese, with Deadpool himself, Ryan Reynolds, in the lead role.
And with Netflix seemingly having given Bay complete control over the movie, the result is the Bay-iest Michael Bay movie ever. Whether that's a good or bad thing entirely depends on your tolerance level for Bayhem.
The story – what there is of it – revolves around a team of international operatives, including a former CIA agent, a doctor and a hitman, who have been recruited by a tech billionaire (Ryan Reynolds) to take out "truly world-class evil motherf**kers".
To do this, every member of the team has faked their deaths to effectively become ghosts, the better to take down their targets.
First on their list is the brutal dictator of "Turgistan", Rovach Alimov (Lior Raz), and they've got a plan to oust him and replace him with his democracy-loving brother Murat (Peyman Maadi).
Really though, the plot is there solely to help stage a series of increasingly ridiculous set pieces that showcase the best – and worst – of Bay. The opening sequence alone features gratuitous slow-motion shots, copious bystander deaths, a eyeball (out of its socket, naturally), a gag about the size of the penis on Michelangelo's David and a lot of blood.
That's all within the first 20 minutes as the team's first mission proves to be a "glorious clusterf**k" and, for some, it'll be more than enough. Anyone who sticks with 6 Underground, though, is likely partial to some Bayhem and they'll find plenty to entertain them.
The pacing slows down a bit as the story jumps around in the timeline to show how each of the team members was recruited by One (there are no names, just because), as well as filling in the backstory as to why Rovach was chosen as the first target. Don't expect it to make much sense, especially Ben Hardy's cockney accent, just go with it and there will be an action sequence along in no time.
Before the Fast & Furious series cornered the market for ludicrous action sequences, Bay was the go-to guy for outrageous stunts – and he delivers again here. From 90th-floor pools being used as a weapon to an entire yacht being made into a giant magnet, it's all total nonsense and very Michael Bay.
However, his secret weapons are Ryan Reynolds, who nails the outlandish tone, and a script stuffed with wisecracks and pop-culture references. While others in the cast might play things a bit too seriously, Reynolds is the audience surrogate, pointing out every ridiculous moment.
6 Underground shows what happens when Bay is let loose, meaning there is plenty to criticise if you want to.
The gags stray into bad-taste territory frequently ("all I know is that it's got a -stan at the end"). It's not subtle in the slightest, with digs at the current US political climate, alongside many melodramatic moments as Bay tries to add some emotional weight. As for the script, there are several clunkers such as, "They have blood types and birthdays and sock drawers".
Yet if you make it through the first 20 minutes and want to carry on watching, it's likely that those faults won't bother you as much as they might others. Michael Bay has made a movie for Bayhem fans, and everyone else will just remain baffled by it all.
6 Underground is now available to watch on Netflix.
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