Hypnotic may have been met with a mostly negative reception, but there’s a lot to enjoy here. It draws from the work of Christopher Nolan in some of his finest sci-fi films.
★★★✰✰
As is being reported just about everywhere, Hypnotic has been a particularly poor performance for Robert Rodriguez at the box office. It is, in fact, a career-worst opening, even with Ben Affleck as the leading man. Affleck’s other recent project, Air, has received a lot of praise—but the same can’t be said for Hypnotic.
We meet Police Detective Danny Rourke (Ben Affleck) as he throws himself into his work to try and forget about his missing daughter. Minnie (Hala Finley) was taken from right in front of his eyes years ago, and is still yet to be found. We know that the man arrested for the abduction claims to have no recollection of it whatsoever, leaving Rourke searching for hours.
In present day, a string of bank heists in Texas have Rourke and his team scratching their heads—the latest one seeing antagonist Dellrayne (William Fichtner) pull the strings in the most mysterious of ways, hynpotising people left, right and centre. Affleck’s character is sent spiralling into mass confusion as he tries to unravel the chaos in front of him. Diana Cruz (Alice Braga) could well be the only other person on Rourke’s wavelength, but everything is not as it seems in this aptly-titled, fast-paced thriller.
A lot of viewers have been quick to compare Hypnotic to predecessors in the genre, particularly linking it to the work of Christopher Nolan. It’s true that there are clear signs of films such as Memento and Interstellar in this one. The story is hardly an original concept on the surface but, when you dig deeper, the way in which Rodriguez unravels his story is particularly smart—and perhaps easier to understand than Nolan’s notoriously complex narratives. On top of that, the hypnosis feels fresh and leaves you questioning every turn
Hypnotic can be viewed through two very different lenses. Whilst in some ways it feels like a film that could have come out a decade or two ago as opposed to 2023, this tone is somewhat charming. Sci-fi films that don’t try to redefine the genre or be ground-breakingly different appeal to a wider audience, rather than just bringing in a niche section of film fans. On top of that, with a lot of films trying to push the boat out in terms of length at the moment, this coming in at just under 90 minutes certainly helps it out.
The acting itself is fairly solid across the board. It is hardly surprising to see Ben Affleck putting in an emotive portrayal as Detective Rourke, with the same going for Fichtner’s Dellrayne. JD Pardo is excellent as Rourke’s partner Nicks, and Alice Braga as the female lead Diana Cruz excels amongst the disarray of the hypnotism.
The Verdict
Not every film needs to be completely original, and Rodriguez’s homage shouldn’t necessarily be marked down because of its derivativeness. It certainly isn’t on the level of Memento, but it remains an entertaining watch that comes in at a very palatable watch time. Hypnotic, for all of its faults, is a captivating cinema experience that has you second-guessing everything, a multitude of twists and turns taking the audience through an intriguing narrative.
Words by Jamie Rooke
Hypnotic releases in cinemas in the UK on 26 May.
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