This Means War: Review By Corey W.

Whatever switch you have functioning that keeps your brain stimulating, turn it off immediately. THIS MEANS WAR is a film you'll struggle to enjoy if you try and piece together the small things or if you question its flaws. This film was designed for the die-hard movie fans looking to have a grand ol' time at the theater. Just about every weekend, one or two film will release that can gain the attention of just about everyone. Whether its an action flick, comedy, or romance, there is always one movie people want to see thats coming out. If you're going with a group of friends and can't decide on a movie, THIS MEANS WAR is the perfect choice. It contains elements from many different genres in film, and thats what truly makes it such a powerhouse of a flick. McG has done a beyond decent job at crafting the perfect buddy-hangout film. Who knew he was capable?

A movie like this works through its amount of energy that its able to hold from start to finish. If it starts off with a lot of energy and lets go about halfway through, people will be turned off by the films overall point. This Means War has none to worry for it grasps an high-octane energetic level all the way through to the credits. This energy comes from the humor, the action, and most importantly, the humor. Thats right, humor gets a mention twice due to the fact to how surprisingly funny This Means War was. Sure, you can expect from the trailer that the movie would be fun and humorous, but its actually hilarious at times. Chris Pine and Tom Hardy kick it to the screen with unbelievably awesome chemistry, probably the best chemistry we've seen on the screen all year. These spies are hilarious in just about every scene they are in together, and for that the film is worth viewing.

Its spy against spy. Good concept, but at times the film made it feel more like stalker against stalker. These two guys pretty much fall for the same girl at the same time and because of this mishap they break into an all-out war. To win the girl, the two do whatever necessary to make her theirs. They place audio bugs and cameras into her home, place background checks on her entire life, and pretty much use her interests against her to make them seem more worthy of a person. This Means War does no good a job at showing how great the two leads are. In the end, you'll start to wonder if either deserve to win Witherspoon's heart due to how creepy/obsessed they actually become. But then, you begin to see that the film has an innocent intention at using this concept to make the audience laugh. Like I said, turn your brain off and try not to think too much into detail. It'll only kill your brain cells.

Once the "war" actually begins and Tom Hardy and Chris Pine start to use different tactics to win over Witherspoon's character, the film never loses its grain of hilarity. Literally, scene after scene after scene the film is absolutely hilarious and that train almost never stops. Up until the end is when This Means War crashes and burns. I was happy with the way the film decided to cut to the credits, but the last ten minutes leading up to that felt rushed and out of place. In a matter of ten minutes, the truth unravels. Witherspoon learns who the two men really are, you get an idea of which man might have won the war, the side-plot to the film regarding the "villain" comes back and creates chaos, the villain is stopped and the chaos ends, and much more. All of this, which is quite a lot for ten minutes, just happens in what feels like a split-second. Its all like a flash to the eyes and it really hurt my brain trying to focus on all of the different plot-points that they were wrapping-up. The film should of spent a little more time working on its ending and piecing it together so it didn't feel so quick and rushed. I felt like the theater hit the fast-forward button so they could rush the audience out of there and clean-up the place early. That's no good.

This Means War, despite a flaw here and there, is a super fun flick that'll keep you occupied for the time-being. To be completely honest, I've already seen the film twice and can say its still just as fun the second time around. Its one of those buddy-flicks that you can watch with a friend and enjoy whenever you get the chance at seeing it. In my opinion, this is a movie I'll certainly pick up on DVD because its certainly worth remembering. While I do feel like Reese Witherspoon could of delivered her performance a tad bit better and bit less cheesy, I, as always, found myself enjoying her performance by the end of the film. Even Chelsea Handler got to me by the time the credits rolled, and believe me, some of her ongoing jokes in the film can get seriously annoying. I can still admit that Hardy and Pine do an excellent job together. This may even open up yet another door for Tom Hardy surfacing the comedic genre. That man can seriously do just about anything, and even though his character may be questionable (British guy in CIA?), he's still absolutely hilarious in this film.

See it for the laughs. See it for the action. See it for the war. And if you don't give this one a try, (Pun the title time) well...THIS MEANS WAR!

Thanks for the read!

-Written by Corey Wood