Team Demolition: Do Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista pair up in this action comedy? (critical)
The director of Blue Beetle reunites the muscular duo on Prime Video. Strangely not so bad.
The platforms are churning out low-brow action comedies, let’s admit straight away having launched The Wrecking Crew, alias Team Demolition in VF – absolutely nightmarish title – dragging your feet. Well, don’t count on us to tell you that the film by Angel Manuel Soto (the man behind the terrible Blue Beetle) fully deserves your attention. However, on a Saturday night where the lack of likeable hand-to-hand combat scenes would be felt, Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista could quench that thirst.
The two muscular men play estranged half-brothers here, but are forced to work together to solve their father’s murder in the streets of Hawaii. On a plot sewn with white thread and clichés, Team Demolition nevertheless manages to inject a little surprise: very trendy kung-fu crazy yakuzas, direct quotes from The Raid (they share the same cinematographer) or Old Boyor even mechanics directly from the video game.
A sometimes surprising mix but which works within the framework of a film based essentially on the joyful brutality of its fighting scenes (forget the horrible CGI chases) and the charisma of its two main actors. As long as we are sensitive to their obvious alchemy and to the delirious – truly delirious – histrionics of Momoa who downs beers while spinning mandals, the pleasure, as primary as it may be, imposes itself without asking permission too much. But maybe we’re just starting to get the flu. Go figure.
Team Demolition by Angel Manuel Soto, with Jason Momoa, Dave Bautista, Claes Bang… 2:04 a.m. Watch on Prime Video.
