Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
Set in the near future, Lockout follows a falsely convicted ex-government agent , whose one chance at obtaining freedom lies in the dangerous mission of rescuing the President's daughter from rioting convicts at an outer space maximum security prison.
Lockout is a fun but derivative B-movie that cribs heavily from Escape from New York but transplants the action to a space prison. The plot is formulaic and predictable, hitting every expected beat of the reluctant anti-hero rescue mission without surprises. Guy Pearce carries the film with considerable charm and sharp one-liners, elevating the material above what it deserves. The cinematography is serviceable but unremarkable, with some notably poor CGI sequences — particularly the early motorcycle chase — dragging it down. The space station setting and gleefully pulpy tone give it a modest novelty bump, feeling more like a tongue-in-cheek throwback than a serious sci-fi entry. The ending wraps up too neatly and without much dramatic weight, a fairly predictable resolution to a predictable setup.